Limes With Lipstick (Suicide Squad 2016)
by hermit nim
Summary: [Jared Leto x OFC] "You look like a lime. A lime with lipstick, sir."
1. Liar

**A/N:** This story is also posted on A03 account. **I'm on chapter four on that site, so that's why you probably won't see many comments on this story. I'm posting all four chapters at once. ** I still do want to ask that if you're enjoying it to comment. Comment, COMMENT, COMMENT. Feedback is dying in this world of fanfics and it is SUPER discouraging.  
 **A/N/N:** I should let you know that I did a big, big NO-NO in reading a celebrity gossip forum. Not a lot of great things were said about Jared. Most of it was borderline criminal. It might make writing this story tougher for me. Just telling you now.

* * *

Limes With Lipstick

* * *

 _California plastic melted your heart away,_  
 _And I'm never gonna go back again._

Chapter One: _Liar_

"Your opinion?" Long brown locks were being swept away. The unfaltering commitment to growing out his hair was gone for his iconic role in the Suicide Squad. He was clean shaven, eyebrows barely visibly. Brown had been stripped away to green. His skin seemed paler under the florescent lighting and his age showed through, making him look rougher than usual.

"Mine, sir?" She looked up from her Surface Pro, noticing that the stylist had left the room. Only two remained, her and her new boss. "My opinion doesn't matter."

He tilted his head at her, "Yet still I'm asking for it."

"You look like a lime. A lime with lipstick, sir."

"Please don't address me as 'sir'."

"Of course. My apologies, Mr. Leto."

"Or _that_. Jesus Christ. 'Mr. Leto'… _Mr. Leto_." He slapped his hand down on the table in front of him, because it really was that fucking priceless. The loud impact of it resounded in the room, causing her to flinch visibly.

He narrowed his blue eyes at her, wondering how long it would take her to finally learn the basics. Every new assistant he hired seemed to be worse than the last and she had come recommended. The very first second of meeting her, he realized that it must've been a favor owed that was now repaid. He was more than likely her first employer in this line of business.

"Wake me when it's time for the shoot." He found his way to the leather couch at the back of the room, shrugging deeper into the large black cardigan he'd brought with him. The hood itself was rather large, fitting over his eyes and down past his nose. Music streamed through his ear buds and it was only then that he was able to close the world out.

* * *

The girl left the room, certain that she would suffocate if she stayed with him. Without being under his scrutiny, she was able to check her messages. There were several Snaps from her friend, Gee. Instead of replying with a picture of her irritation, she gave her a call. Besides, she might feel better if she spoke with someone who was actually human.

"Hey! Did you get my snap?"

She nodded, despite Gee not being able to see her. "All forty-five seconds worth."

"Mitsuwa was having a weekend festival and I know how much you love Jackie Chan land, okay?"

"It's a Japanese store and no, you don't sound racist, not at all."

"Oh, ho, ho, the sarcasm. Not all of us had the option of taking Japanese in college. So, how are things with Jared Leto?" Gee asked with a fit of laughter, unable to control herself. "I'm sorry. I still can't take that seriously. Like, I get to ask that as a for real question and that's amazing."

"I'm pretty sure he hates me. The more polite and careful I am, the more resentful he becomes." It wasn't practical for her to care about what he thought of her, so long as she was doing her job.

"When do I get to thank him for stealing my best friend away? You know you basically don't have a life of your own anymore, right?"

"I'm sure he'd be more than happy to cut me loose, although I don't think he can go a day without being condescending towards me. He gives me this look that makes my skin crawl."

"Just imagine how long it must've taken him to perfect. In front of a mirror. For hours, maybe even days. How does he look as the Joker? He's probably babe-ing out."

"If you think limes are babes," she muttered, not exactly sure what to think of his new appearance. One minute he looked like the brown and blond version of Yukon Cornelius, the next something else entirely. "Anyways, I should go see how much longer until.."

She stopped mid-sentence as the hairs at the nape of her neck stood up at attention. It felt like metaphorical holes were being stared into the back of her head. She turned reluctantly and the blood drained from her face. Jared stood there in his fitted jeans and long cardigan. It was open, exposing his temporary tattooed chest, and powdered skin.

She wordlessly hung up the phone and slowly placed it in the back pocket of her shorts. The raw intensity of his stare pinned her on the spot.

"Sir, I mean.." She stammered, unable to form the correct words. "J-Jared…"

It felt wrong being so informal, especially now, when he was glaring hard at her.

"It was a simple task. I close my eyes, you stay awake. When they're ready for me, you wake me up." He approached her with the same smooth grace as every sentence that rolled off his tongue. "It's as though I knew you would be incompetent. Restless, I come out to find you here, on the phone, talking shit about me no less."

"I wasn't…" She shook her head at him, unable to look away from his eyes. Maybe she would crumble. He certainly had the power to make her do so. He was confident that he could tear her into pieces, show her how quickly Hollywood could turn into hell.

"You can fuck up time and time again. Fucking up is tolerable (to some degree), as I am _so_ patient and considerate." He watched as she took a step backwards as he proceeded to close the distance between them. The actor didn't stop, until her back met the wall behind her. "But the one thing that I absolutely cannot stand is lying."

"But I –"

He placed his hand against the wall beside her head and leaned in closer, "Lie to me again. I. Dare. You."

She closed her mouth and felt her body tremble with silent rage and humiliation.

He grinned at her then, red lips, and eye shadow, "Good girl."

 _What an evil fucking lime._

* * *

 **TBC  
**


	2. Coward

__Limes With Lipstick _  
_

* * *

 __

 _Love hunt me down,_  
 _I can't stand to be so dead behind the eyes._

Chapter Two: _Coward_

"You have a brunch with the cast at eleven, followed by the script reading at two, a costume fitting at five, and dinner afterwards if you choose to spend that time eating, but it'll have to be local. Trailer-local."

"What if we were to order in?" Like hell he was going to eat his meal off of a Styrofoam plate. He would be expected to converse with whom, the crewmen? No – he enjoyed his quiet dinners. They were personal. His diets had changed drastically for whatever role he claimed, whether it was to gain or lose the weight, he would give every part of himself.

"If by order in, you mean having me run out to go fetch it, because you don't believe in tipping, then certainly, sir."

"That's exactly what I had in mind." He leaned towards her from his chair and narrowed his eyes. "And did you just call me 'sir' again?"

She ignored the question to continue, "David wants to shoot most of your scenes first, since you're not in the movie as much. It would be inconvenient to have you waiting around in Toronto." She closed her tablet and held it against her stomach. "Will it be Chinese food?"

"Yes."

"The same order as last time?"

"Mm."

She closed her eyes, "A large vegetarian wonton soup without the wontons and five bags of crispy noodles and a can of ginger ale?" He nodded at her, a sly smirk tugging across his pale lips. "I'll be sure to have that ready for you after your fitting."

She left the room with a shake of her head, preparing their driver for the day's itinerary. The only way to find vegetarian wonton soup is at the supermarket, where you then buy the ingredients, and make it yourself. She wondered if he knew that already. It was possible that he just enjoyed sending her to restaurants and having her beg for them to specially arrange their food.

"Is Felix out here?" Jared asked, seeking out his assistant, knowing full well that Felix was not her name or anything else he intended on calling her. For as long as she would call him Mr. or Sir, then he would address her as anything other than her real name. "Bethany!"

She was at the car, opening the door for him when he turned the corner.

"Saxon, there you are." He placed both hands on her shoulders, white teeth flashing back at her. "Now before we meet with my co-stars, did you make sure that they received their presents?"

"Sir," she said, as she lowered her arms, so that he would remove his hands. He remained firm, unwillingly to release her yet. "Yes, they received them. Margot Robbie enjoyed the love letter, as well as the live rat you sent her."

"Well, our coupling has to be perfect." He caught her gaze, blue eyes staring through her. "That's how you start a dysfunctional relationship. You know, I've never written a love letter. Words placed down on paper are meant to be perceived as art. It's not someone's real feelings. It's not intimate. It's as good as a lie."

"I don't really know what you're talking about." Sometimes he said things and the frightening part about it was that she couldn't weigh the sincerity of them. She wouldn't be made a joke of by taking him too seriously. "Also, everyone else found the hog hide to be hilarious. The video was a perfect touch as well. I'm sure there will be plenty of table talk for you."

He let go of her to put on his sunglasses and stepped inside the car. He was wearing the black cardigan again, this time with a hat to cover up his green hair. She sat next to him and looked over the rest of his schedule, sorting things out with his tour.

"You won't be able to make some of these last second scene rehearsals. David already said okay to the schedule, too."

He turned to stare at her. Even with his sunglasses on, she could still feel the heat from his gaze. "Then I'll keep sending them presents."

"Tomorrow and Sunday, I'll have the day off. Did you want me to arrange anything for you? I'm sure that there are great hiking parks around here." She had already looked into them, carrying the pamphlets in her bag, and was prepared to hand them over.

"No, thank you."

They arrived at the restaurant, one of which was reserved for the morning and afternoon. She noticed some of the co-star's agents and assistants from her back and forth in and out of trailers to deliver Jared's obscene gifts. They were seated at a table away from everyone else, which made sense.

"Have fun," 'being judged', she wanted to add, but decided against it. She needed her job. It was a goddamn task trying to keep it.

Jared reached his hand out with his sunglasses folded in them. What did he want? She opened her bag and watched as he dropped them inside.

She turned to walk away, "'Kay then."

"Where are you going?" He asked, able to see the other assistants seated within his line of view.

"Uhm, over there with the other assistants…" She gestured over towards the table for the emphasis. "There's no reason for me to be with you during this."

"You're telling me when I will or will not need you?" He laughed lowly, not truly amused. She could see it in his eyes, despite his smile. "You're not sitting at the kiddy table, Susan."

"Yeah, I couldn't help but notice that you keep referring to me with other women's names. It's getting a little bit confusing. Several times I've looked for a Reba that didn't exist."

"Maybe you should call me Jared like I asked."

"Leto, get your ass in here!" David yelled from across the room, hands buried in the bagels. He'd find the right one eventually. "Several of your co-stars would like a word with you."

"Do not leave my side." It was an order, one that couldn't be ignored, given her employee status. Being his personal assistant was like being a slave. She stood behind his chair and folded her hands neatly. She felt utterly ridiculous being the only assistant at the table. It drew attention to her and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Who is this beauty?" Jai Courtney asked, being the first one to notice her awkward presence.

"This is Chloe," Jared murmured her untrue name nonchalantly. "Don't mind her."

She held her breath and counted to ten.

* * *

At the end of the night they pulled up at the hotel he was staying at, refusing the studio's accommodations. She didn't mind nor had the money to turn the trailer down. They took the elevator up to his room in silence. Once he was there, he went back to isolating himself for his role. She straightened up the room, undoing the cleanliness of the maids, and leaving things the way he liked it: chaotic.

He took a seat at his desk, rummaging through his script. There were red scribbles riddled throughout, changes that he wanted to bring up to the writers. It was a complex role, one that made him feel intimidated. That alone was enough to interest him.

"Is there anything else that you need before I go?" There was no answer in response. He hadn't even looked up from the papers in front of him to acknowledge her. She grabbed her bag and headed towards the door.

 _'Words placed down on paper are meant to be perceived as art. It's not someone's real feelings. It's not intimate. It's as good as a lie.'_ The words played at the back of her mind over and over again. The tone he'd used, so confident. Jared was always so smug.

"You know what, I'm off the clock." She walked back into the room and stopped when she reached the desk. She really had no idea where the courage had come from. Maybe she was just fed up with his childish antics for one day. "Do you really think that love letters are a form of art? That they're insincere? Or was that just you attempting to be deep and edgy? Because that is the shittiest, most pretentious statement I've ever heard. Love letters are the oldest and most romantically honest forms of a love confession."

He stared up at her unblinkingly, his mouth parting for words that he could not find at the moment. Should he let her have this one when it was adorable that she had even challenged him in the first place? He didn't peg her for the confrontational type, yet there she was – bravado and all.

"Furthermore…" Oh, there was more? He leaned back in his seat and watched her expectantly. She hoped he'd feel the pain of her verbal slap. "For someone who hates lying, you do it all the time. I'm sure you've received love letters and that they've found their way into your garbage. But do you know who says things like, 'love letters are lies'? Cowards. You're a fucking coward, _sir_."

Whatever it was – his last shred of restraint – it broke completely. This woman wasn't even a real assistant. She knew nothing of the business. Her style was pathetic and lacking. Her mouth seemed to run quicker than her brain. He could see the regret blossoming red across her face. Her eyebrows drew together and she swallowed painfully.

"You're the one shaking," The actor said, as he stood up from his chair. One hand was tucked in the pocket of his jeans casually. The orange light did nothing for his pale complexion or how it made his eyes seem darker then. "Cowardice is an easy insult to toss around, my dear. What intrigues me most about you is that you keep demanding my attention."

"I've never done that," she said, dismissing the accusation immediately.

"I've asked you to stop calling me 'sir'. Now you do it spitefully, no? And believe me, there is nothing more enjoyable than our banter, but you do tend to overstep your boundaries." He was standing inches away from her, the warmth of his body reaching her – he was so close. "I must not be paying you enough attention."

"Fuck you." She was bold when she was pissed off.

He placed his hand at the side of her neck and pulled her closer to him forcefully. The air between their lips mingled as one. She brought her palms up to his chest in a feeble attempt to separate them, but he was as still as stone. A bigger, yet shameless part of her didn't want him to stop. Perhaps, he was attractive, even as a lime.

"Would that be enough?" He asked her seriously and watched as her eyes widened in both shock and hurt. Hell, if it wasn't for him crushing her hands to his body, she was certain that she would have actually slapped him.

He slid his hands from her slowly and stepped away from her. "You can leave now."

She refused to look at him, as she exited the room, and leaned her back against the wall once the door had shut. She could breathe easier when he wasn't around. The cold air in the hallway hit her skin and chased away the fever of anger and excitement that she shouldn't have felt.

"Coward," she said, breathlessly.

* * *

 **TBC**


	3. Captain Australia

Limes With Lipstick _  
_

* * *

 _'He said take me down to hell  
_ _Because I think I'd fit in well.'_

Chapter Three: _Captain Australia_

It was Saturday, one of the only days that she was not required to see Jared Leto, although lines of communication still had remain opened to him. She found her phone buried under one of her pillows. She had turned it off for the night and struggled to find reason to turn it back on again. She picked a good day to argue with him, what with not having to see him for two whole days.

That argument, if an argument was what you would call it…

She closed her eyes tightly, overcome with the embarrassment from last night. "Oh, I'm so stupid. Why am I so stupid? He's in character as a psycho and I choose now to fuck with him?"

If she were to be completely honest with herself, Jared had come off as cold since the very beginning of their short employer – employee relationship. The only time he appeared to be warm was when he was on stage in front of his fans. There was no question that he genuinely cared for and appreciated them.

She skimmed her fingers along the side of her neck where he'd touched her. It was like a ghost wound, still tingling, and burning from the memory of it.

Gee's advice was required. She took out her Surface Pro and logged into Skype. Her friend answered on the fifth ring.

She laughed, "You're still alive? Nice to know that Jared Leto didn't kill you the other day."

"I need rule number one of celebrity dating."

"Okay, well, that shit is short-lived," Gee said, snorting with a roll of her eyes. "It's like shopping for a designer bag or watch. Dating to them is like acquiring a new accessory, etcetera, etcetera…"

"Not that one – fine, then. Rule number two of celebrity dating."

"Celebrities only date each other. I mean, there have been a few exceptions here and there, but…" There was a long pause, which was unnatural for Gee. "Holy wow, okay, it's only been two months, and you're already under his thrall?"

"Thrall? What thrall…"

"Shut the fuck up, bitch. It's Jared Leto. He has a thrall over women _and_ men. It's some Dracula aged shit."

She rolled her eyes, "I don't see him like that."

"Then why am I reciting from the celebrity dating handbook?"

"That's not even a real thing. It's just common knowledge, but I needed to hear you to say it."

"Look, just because he won't date you, doesn't mean he won't fuck you."

She shot up from the chair like she'd won bingo, "Thank you! There we go. I'm disposable. He'll never take me seriously. There's no need to feel anything. I'll just do my job and elude his advances, if he's even trying to…advance upon me…"

"My advice was going to be to go for it, but alright, that works too."

"Good talk!" She hung up abruptly and closed down her tablet to start her morning routine. She sliced up the fruit and stuck it in the fridge for breakfast. It would be perfect for after her run. She tied up her hair and went out the door. Crew members moved about the venue busily, getting ready for their first official day of filming.

There was a semi-visible trail that she followed. It would be a good distance there and back. When she returned, she ate her frozen fruit and showered off the sweat. She found her favorite pair of pajamas and reserved the afternoon for reading. Maybe she would even snoop around the venue to look for the food stations.

A knock on the trailer door startled her, as she wondered who it could be. Sure, it was Jared's trailer, but he made sure that everyone knew that he wouldn't be residing in it. Or maybe it was Jared himself, which only made things more difficult. She was in a loose tank top and a small pair of shorts.

Despite her apprehension, she found herself opening the door. The six-foot-one Australian from yesterday was standing there. Jai Courtney smiled broadly at her when she answered. He didn't seem surprised to see her there.

"Mr. Courtney." She stepped down from the trailer, instantly noticing the height difference. "Jared isn't here."

He laughed, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb, "He's here. Just not _here,_ here."

She blinked a few times. Did she just hear him correctly? "Here in Toronto, yes."

"No, I mean, I just saw him in makeup twenty minutes ago. In fact, I have to head back on over there, but I saw you jog on by not too long ago. I figured I'd ask before we begin shooting. Are you going to Will's bash later?"

She shook her head, "Probably not. That seems more like a co-star thing."

"My assistant will be there. He deserves to party for all the work he does. I'm sure Jared feels the same way."

"What is it that I feel?" asked the familiar voice, chilling her to the bone. This is what she was afraid of, meeting him after what had transpired last night out of her own stupidity.

Jai turned to regard Jared, "That this girl deserves to go to Will's party."

She could feel Jared's eyes on her, burning through her skin, as if daring her to meet his gaze. The tension between them grew thick and she wanted to hide behind Jai's massive body just to escape.

Jared asked her, mock-genuinely, "Why _don't_ you join us?"

She looked up at him then, seeing him in the full Joker attire. She could see where they had derived the look from the comics and made it their own. Did his shirt have to be unbuttoned? Pale skin stood out against the dark makeup, blue eyes ablaze with silent amusement as he watched her squirm. His green hair was slicked back and although he appeared to be kind towards her in front of Jai, he was being cruel.

"Because it's my day off."

He didn't move his eyes from her, as his jaw set firmly. He wanted to see her on her knees, because that is what she deserved. All of her reservations towards him meant nothing, until she was sorry. She should be begging for his forgiveness.

Jai took her by the hand, holding it between his own. "Please!"

She nodded slowly, still unsure despite the fact that her mouth was moving. "Okay. I'll go."

If she could get past the ominous feeling that something bad was going to happen, she might've been able to enjoy the fact that Jai Courtney was being sweet on her. Unfortunately, the dark cloud standing off to the side with its arms crossed was too busy making her wish the ground would swallow her whole.

"Cute pajamas by the way," Jai said and winked at her as he walked away. "See you later!"

She expected Jared to advise against it, to tell her that it wasn't appropriate, but he didn't. Instead, he left without another word. But how come it still felt like it wasn't okay?

* * *

There was nothing to wear and she refused to walk around in heels on her day off. So, she settled for a large shirt, a pair of leggings, and her black Creepers. There were too many tall people around anyway. Not like the platform shoes would save her much in height. She tied her hair into a French braid and headed out.

It was fairly easy to tell which trailer belonged to Will Smith. All she had to do was follow the music. There were beach chairs and strings of party lights. It took her right back to her college days when they used to go camping. There was a table lined with bottles of hard liquor and coolers filled with cans of beer.

She spotted one of the assistants away from the music, still dressed in casual clothing. It felt only right to join them.

"Staying sober, huh?" She asked, trying to make an attempt at small-talk.

"You have no idea how difficult it is. I want to steal one of those coolers and find myself a hole." A young looking guy with glasses and frizzy hair reached out his hand towards her. "My name is Clark. I'm Jai Courtney's assistant."

She shook his hand, "I think you should definitely have a drink. Jai seems pretty chill."

"He's a real teddy bear," he said, but didn't seem too happy about it. "You're Jared Leto's assistant, right? What's it like working for him?"

"You know, it's uh…sorta like meeting Willy Wonka and going inside the chocolate factory with your bedridden grandfather. He takes you to that room and it's edible and full of songs and mystery. Or you know, it's very much like Disneyland. You never lose that child-like wonder." She grabbed two beers and handed one to Clark. "If I died and went to Heaven, working for Jared is that Heaven."

"You are so full of shit," He laughed, "How much does he pay you to say that?"

She shrugged, "Enough."

Where was Jared anyway? She scanned her eyes around the area, while doing a horrible job at keeping up conversation. She'd finally found him. He was sitting with his co-stars, nursing his drink. He must've washed off his own makeup in a hurry, eyes still smudged with black, and lips stained a deep red. He was talking to some beautiful blond woman who she didn't identify as Margot Robbie.

"She looks like a cheerleader," she murmured, taking a long swig of her beer.

"There you are! Clarkie, I see you've met Jared Leto's lovely assistant." Jai was there, hoisting her up by her hand as if to show her off. Her laugh was purposeful, trying to attract a certain someone's attention. With her back faced towards him she'd never be able to tell.

"Am I not lovely?" Clark asked and they waited for something – anything. Jai could have just agreed and went on his merry way, but he didn't.

Let the metaphorical crickets do their chirping...

"Right, mate. I'm going to go take this girl for a spin." She followed after the brute, sparing Clark a sympathetic look, as she was dragged out onto the grass where other couples were dancing.

She could smell the alcohol on his breath, intoxicating, and warm. He was already drunk. She could tell by the red in his face. Despite his inebriated state, he remained gentlemanly and playful. He didn't close the space between them, but instead held onto her hands and twirled her about.

"Darling, I don't think you quite understand what that laugh is doing to me," he confessed with a slur, his accent thick. She steadied her hands on his massive arms and stared up at him.

"Your laugh is pretty great, too." Was this flirting? What the hell was this… whatever it was, it was foreign to her. She shouldn't be dancing and laughing. She should be sulking over by Clark, waiting for sempai to notice her.

The blond seated next to Jared Leto was easy prey. He could have her, sloshed or not – which he was not at the present. He'd been sipping from the same cup since he arrived, keeping himself alert. He was a moody drunk and found himself to already be agitated. His assistant was starting to get to him, which wasn't an easy feat. He could take it out on the woman next to him. He could have her thighs around his waist. He could be driving into her and succumbing to his habits for another night.

Then there was Jai fucking Courtney, even the name offended him. Jared saw her beside him. She was a true disaster, like a walking retrograde. She was pure and naïve, oblivious to what men must've saw in her. They would want to destroy her. Looking at her now, he wanted to tear her apart from beneath him.

But Jai had his hands on her and he was making her laugh. And she said yes to _him_. She was at the party for _Jai_ and not for Jared and that was a damn shame. He didn't wear jealousy very well, especially when it was for no other reason, than to be territorial. He couldn't stand it and before he knew what he was doing, he was up on his feet, and walking across the grass.

He didn't ask for permission. He did not even inform the two of his presence. He simply grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away.

"I need to speak with her for a moment," Jared barely managed to get out, before he brought her behind the trailer. It was dark from not being near the lights anymore, but they could still make each other out.

"Let's finish last night's conversation – now. We're at the part where you apologize."

She laughed, incredulously, "Are you kidding me? You're the one who should be apologizing. Do you even recall the things you insinuated?"

"I was no more out of line, than you were. That reminds me, your phone was off today. The studio needed me on set and couldn't get a hold of you, and so they called me. You know how your job works, right?"

"It's my day off and I wasn't near my phone." Well, there's lie number two, which wasn't as easy to prove, than the first one.

"You keep saying that like it's supposed to matter. I'm beginning to think that I was too gracious in giving you those days off. Everyone else had their assistant right beside them during filming." He would take away what little air she had left to breathe. "I'm revoking your privileges."

Her heart started to race in panic, "You mean our agreement. You can't do that."

"I allowed you to have those two days to yourself. Now I'm disallowing it." He was lenient, because he thought that he wouldn't need her. Now he realized what a mistake he'd made in giving her such freedom. Plus, he knew that she was lying.

"You can't – please!" And to hell with dignity or whatever else it was that she was holding on to, because she needed those days to herself. "I'm sorry, Jared. I was wrong."

"Now that I've finally heard your apology..." He stepped closer to her, leaning down to speak against her ear. She felt his breath against her skin and shivered involuntarily. "…it sounds cheap."

"Why are you doing this to me?" She whispered softly and turned her face towards him, missing his lips by mere inches.

"You're my assistant. I'm making sure that you haven't forgotten what that means." He looked over towards the party. "And stay away from Jai. He's a bit handsy if you couldn't tell."

"And so are you." Why was she still speaking?

"I'll try to be more mindful." He wasn't used to such a request, but it would be easy enough. Most of his instinctual grabbing and flirtatious behavior had become habitual, a part of who he was. He'd hurt people by being himself, leading them on, and then treating them like they didn't exist. He could treat her like she was nothing.

"Thank you."

He emptied his cup onto the grass. "Drive me to the hotel. I'm tired."

"Sir," she said, as she walked beside him to the car. It was a long walk in silence, but at least their argument had been over. Unfortunately, she'd lost her days off in the process with no apology from him, and was left with zero dignity.

One thing was certain, tomorrow would be a living hell.

* * *

 **TBC**


	4. Hush Now

Limes With Lipstick

* * *

 _'If looks could really kill,  
then my profession would be staring.'_

Chapter Four: _Hush Now_

"Here's your coffee, Mr. Leto," She said, holding it carefully with two hands. He was sitting in his makeup chair, being powered down before they applied the shadow.

Jared didn't say anything, as he stared down at his phone, scrolling through his twitter feed. She placed the cup down on the table in front of him. Just as she went to walk away, she heard him speak lowly to her, "Hold it for me."

The drink was burning hot, but sure. She picked it up and waited, "Do you want some?"

"What do _you_ think?" He stared up at her, his expression void of any real emotion. Their short, tension filled interactions was beginning to make the stylist uncomfortable. "Bring it closer."

She brought the cup next to him and watched as he closed his mouth over the side of the lid and sipped it carefully. She was half-tempted to tilt it, so that he would burn his tongue, but she wasn't that daring. Not now, not when he was being colder than usual.

Once he was prepared for his scene, they drove out to the chosen location. It was late in the evening when they arrived. Margot Robbie's assistant was there, holding onto a big puffy jacket, ready to throw it around Margot's shoulders when each take was over. It made the assistant feel as though she should be doing something more for Jared, although he didn't appear to need it.

She grabbed a piece of paper and sharpie from the table setup behind her. Drawing was not her forte, but she gave her best attempt at a stick figure of Jared that said, _'Go, Jared, go!'_ on it. It wasn't like she was attending his soccer game, but it was better than doing nothing. She held it up, gaining a majority of odd looks as a result.

"Thanks," David said, as he pointed to the sign. "I needed that today."

"Looks like you have a fan," Margot teased, as she nodded towards his assistant. The actor followed the direction of her gesture and narrowed his eyes. What the hell was she doing?

"Alright, so the writers would like to try a new approach. Harley, you're going to kiss the Joker, but your intention is to steal the gun from his holster, and then you're going to point it at him." David Ayer moved between them, using his hands to help further explain how their chemistry worked. It looked like a goddamn tornado, which she guessed accurately summed up their relationship."Guy comes up, Harley you shoot him, and Joker – you will take the gun back. If this doesn't seem right, we'll go back to the original piece."

It was when 'action' was called, that she had begun holding in her breath. She lowered the sign with a sense of dejection. Watching Jared perform was one thing, but seeing him act was something else entirely. The two actors were both visually stunning, made up to perfection, so deep within their characters. They stared at each other as deranged lovers might. You could never be sure on what would happen between them, violence, betrayal, or brief bouts of sweetness.

The actress moved in closer to him, running her hands up along his neck. _Her breath caught in her throat._ He stood still, as would the character he was playing, as she pressed her lips against his own. "More!" David shouted, encouraging them. Jared's auto response was to please, as he grabbed her by her hair and crushed their mouths together. There was a flash of his tongue, his red lipstick smearing, as he kissed her roughly. _Cannot breathe – her heart was pounding so hard that she could hear it in her ears_.

 _'Why am I like this…?'_ She thought to herself, as the paper fell from her fingers. Her breathing quickened, as she started to hyperventilate. She had no idea as to why she was panicking. All she did know was that she needed to leave, immediately, before she made a damn fool out of herself, _again_. She grabbed her bag and hurried out to the car. Last thing she needed was to distract him or anyone else for that matter.

She closed the driver door and dug through her bag, finding her bottle of valium, and chased down half a pill with water. It would start to kick in soon enough. She placed her hands down at her sides, counting in her head, and thought of home. There were scarier things in this world, than a panic attack.

What used to frighten her was the sky, of all things.

* * *

 _'The sky is not going to fall,' a voice used to tell her. It was sweet and soft. She believed the boy when he said it. Was he just a mere boy? She couldn't remember. Perhaps it was that she was young and he was old. That could be why he was always right about everything._

 _The clouds passed by as she looked up from her spot on the grass. It was wet from the rain, the smell of it surrounding them._

 _'How do you know?' She asked, as she peered over at him. The grass was in the way, but she could see his head resting on the top of his arms with his legs crossed over one another. She could never see his facial features clearly though. He was only a voice, a memory, or less._

 _'Because nothing could ever be that perfect.'_

 _Twenty-three year old Jared Leto, the rising star in a hit television series, was stuck babysitting some brat with cloud fears. He couldn't turn down his mother's request, since her word was law._

* * *

A loud knock on the window jolted her from her sleep. Jared was waiting outside impatiently. The scene was over and the backdoor was locked for whatever reason. He heard it click and opened the door to the backseat.

"Sorry about that," she mumbled to him, her mind still hazy from the nap. She reached forward to turn the heat on, shivering from the cold she noticed upon waking. "Would you like to head back to the hotel or to the trailer lot?"

Her question was less important, than his own, as he disregarded it, "Where were you this whole time?"

She sighed, leaning back against the seat with her eyes shut, "In the car."

"You can't leave whenever you feel like it, especially if it's to take a fucking powernap. I've fired assistants for a lot less."

He placed his ear buds in and blocked out whatever retort she could have mustered. Her absence was noticed when he'd detached himself from Margot. All he saw was the piece of paper on the ground, which was a lousy stand-in. A piece of paper couldn't fetch him cocoa.

She chose to bring him back to the hotel, helping him with his bags. She placed the makeup removal wipes she'd purchased for him on the counter in the bathroom. He was at his desk, head propped up on his hand, as he watched her flutter around the room, making sure that everything was the way he liked it. It was remarkable how much she knew about him within such little time.

"I'm going to shower and then we should eat." He could afford to be nice tonight. Eating with Jared wasn't some special occasion. She'd often sat across from him during dinner, whether it was at a restaurant, in the car, or backstage at one of his shows.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he was clean. The makeup had come off better than last night. He wore a pair of fitted jeans and a baggy sleeveless shirt. He enjoyed showing off his body, since he was back to being built. She couldn't stop staring at the tone in his ribs or the tattoos on his arms.

This time he chose to dine at a local pizza place on the boulevard that was swarming with people. The hat he wore did nothing to hide his bright green hair and he refused to have her run inside to grab the food. No, the actor was going to delight in her discomfort. Jared stepped out of the car when it stopped. He handled each moment with zero precaution, as he waltzed inside the restaurant.

He sat himself over by the window and removed his sunglasses. There was a candle at the center of the table and the sounds of _Albachiara_ playing on the radio could be heard. Yes, he'd found the cheesiest Italian joint in Toronto. She caught up to him, unable to keep the glare from off her face. He pretended not to notice, as he held up a menu and skimmed over their small selection of vegan pizzas.

A waitress walked over with her pen and scratchpad, "My name is Natalia and I'll be your waitress for this evening. Are you guys ready to order?"

"Natalia," Jared said, testing the name upon his lips. He might as well have just moaned it with the affect it had on the poor girl. "That's a lovely name. I think I'll have a personal vegan pie and an Honest Tea."

She smiled at him, cheeks flushed, "Sure thing."

The assistant stared between them for what seemed like forever. It didn't appear as though the waitress would look away from him anytime soon. This must be that 'thrall' thing that Gee was talking about. She cleared her throat.

"I'll have a burger." Because fuck his vegan ways. The waitress turned on her heel with a hint of reluctance and placed the order in. His assistant looked at him, seriously, "You're making it difficult for me to protect you."

"I'm not sure if you know this, so I'm going to clue you in." He lowered his tone and spoke from behind his hand, blue eyes flashing playfully, "You're not a bodyguard."

"That may be true, but I can still care for your wellbeing and right now, you're being careless." It made her weary. She'd seen how his fan reacted _with_ crowd control and she wasn't at all confident that she could keep him safe.

"I think things are going pretty smoothly." He said, as he eyed the waitress, enjoying the way she was bent over the counter to speak to the chef. The actor touched his tongue to the corner of his mouth. "I might ask you to leave at some point. Besides, I'm sure that you would love to get away from me."

"So, that you can sleep with her? That's a great idea. You should capitalize on that. Do you have condoms or should I run out and get some for you?" She deadpanned, not really caring much for whatever consequences talking back to him would ensue. "How old is she, like, five? Be sure to ID her at the door."

She took out her purse and placed down ten dollars worth of Canadian currency. "I haven't known you for very long, but already I want to tell you to grow up. Peter Pan syndrome gets old real quick and one day, when it's too late, you'll realize that you're alone."

She collected her things and left him there. Her heels clacked loudly against the sidewalk. It was late, cold, and dark. The streetlights did little to illuminate her surroundings and most of the shops were closed for the night. Maybe she should submit her resignation letter and return home, because this sure as hell wasn't working for them.

She heard the customer bell, alerting her that someone either left or walked into the pizzeria. She had no interest in seeing if it was him or not. She shouldn't willingly try and hold hands with a loveless asshole. All the signs were there. Jared was an actor, singer, and a philanthropist – all of these accomplishments being red flags.

Keep it professional she'd told herself time and time again. In the end, she wouldn't be able to, because she was not cut out for this.

A hand closed tightly around her wrist and jerked her from off the sidewalk. Jared was there, pressing her against the nearest wall with the weight of his body. She was about to yell at him, when he clamped his hand over her mouth. They were inches from each other, his eyes dark when he stared at her then.

A few moments later and a group of teenage girls walked by the alley he'd dragged her down. It was exactly what she had been afraid of happening. He removed his hand, convinced that she wouldn't make a sound that would jeopardize their position. He searched her expression and could see traces of fear.

His jaw clenched visibly, as his eyes fell to her lips. This was the same mouth that got away with cursing him on a daily basis. He pressed his hips into hers, keeping her pinned to the wall behind her, and felt her tremble. Whether it was from his closeness or the cold, he had every intention on pursuing it.

She closed her eyes when he lowered his face to hers, "Please, don't…"

He grabbed her chin between two fingers, running his thumb along her bottom lip with slow deliberateness, "Are you afraid of me?"

She nodded in response, unable to think, speak, or act. The only thing she knew in that moment was him. He smelled earthy and clean. He was impatient and demanding, but most of all, he was distant. He was far, far away in some other world, a world that she didn't belong in. And she knew that he would not commit. Jared Leto does not do girlfriends.

He was dangerous. All of her mother's warnings had come to mind. Hell, the shitty experiences from high school and college had taught her so much, and yet also nothing. The warning signs in her head were blaring off and her inner child was irate, because she knew better. She had envisioned the perfect guy many times before. He wasn't gorgeous, but he was charming. He didn't have a great job, but he was funny. He wasn't Jared Leto.

"What if I fall?" She whispered to him, knowing that questions like that were bound to scare him or any man away for that matter. She opened her eyes to find him staring back at her. He didn't seem frightened.

"You're not going to fall." The actor knew himself well enough to know that women tended to resent him. No person could love him in the state that he was in and he was in no shape to love someone wholly.

Her eyes fluttered, feeling her resolve crumble, "How do you know?"

 _'Because nothing could ever be that perfect,'_ he thought, as he leaned down the rest of the way and kissed her slowly. The warm pressure of his lips elicited a gasp, as he moved his hand to the front of her neck, keeping her still. He parted her mouth with the force of his tongue, delving in expertly against her own.

It felt like she was slipping away.

She turned her face away from him, breaking the kiss effectively. Her breathing was shallow and she felt lightheaded. **Absolutely not**. She shook her head at him and turned so that she was no longer close to his lips. Jared stepped away from her, until his back met the opposite wall. They sat there in silence, one of them hurt, and the other one hungry.

Now that he'd finally had a taste, he found himself starved for more.


	5. Landfill

**A/N:** My male best friend wrote this in the document when I stepped away at some point. I thought I'd share. "They made passionate love 'til the sun rose over the tops of the trailers. Jared was a very generous lover, like, I mean, his giving to receiving ratio was 100:1."

* * *

Limes With Lipstick

* * *

 _'Throw me in a landfill,_  
 _Don't think about the consequences.'_

Chapter Five: _Landfill_

 _'Are you afraid of me?'_

Her eyes snapped open. She was replaying last night over again in her head.

Their kiss wasn't something that she was ready to believe in. In the heady space of fear and potential longing, she had given in. Jared Leto had won for a split second and the warmth of his victory still lingered on her lips. She'd touched her fingers to them, wanting to retrace the moment back to where he decided that he wanted her. If there was a way to stop time to make sure that the feeling remained and was never fleeting, not even for a single moment, then perhaps it would be worth it.

Jared Leto was enigmatic, but dangerous, because he _knew_ it. He knew how to use it to manipulate the people and situations around him.

She answered her phone, "Yes, Gee?"

"I have no idea where I am right now." Her friend looked around the busy streets of New York, still hung over from last night's endeavors. "I slept with some guy who burped in his sleep. I woke up and his mouth flatulence was so, so bad."

"That's pretty gross."

"I'M so gross, you mean. I can't remember anything." She paused for a moment, still slightly drunk. "I was probably good though, like, if anything was to be made certain. Anyways, keep me company, until I'm safely home. Things are starting to look familiar."

Now was a better time than any to tell her about her own mistake, "I let Jared kissed me."

Gee laughed, "I'm sorry, is this kindergarten? He kissed you. That's cute. Maybe you two can hold hands and pick flowers next time."

"I stopped it, before it could turn into anything."

"Wow, see. You're a prude. Your whole life will be spent having vanilla sex."

"Eh, that's probably true." She said, as she stared down at her resignation letter. It had been easy for her to write, professional, and to the point. "I think I'm quitting today."

"Did you really just state it using your eerily calm voice?" Gee climbed the steps to her apartment and stopped at the door. It was serious. "This is the best job you've had in a long time. It could have been a full year for you without work. If you quit your job now, there's a possibility that you'll have to settle for something less. Can you afford to do that right now?"

Like she really needed to hear that shit, "Gee –!"

"Yes or no, bitch."

If she were to be completely honest…

"No. I can't afford it."

"Yeah, I didn't think so, either. Tell me what's so terrible about being kissed by a celebrity, one of which just so happens to be Jared Leto."

"You wouldn't understand this feeling, even if I described it perfectly." 'You always go for bad men,' she wanted to say, but decided against it. She didn't need to hurt anyone's feelings.

"Well, I'm home now. I'm going for round two of drunken sleep. Try not to quit."

"Alright, good…morning? Night…" She trailed awkwardly, before hanging up. She was outside a local pet store called, 'Paws and Claws'. Jared wanted to go in and play with the huskies. She initially thought that the request had been a joke, but he stood firm.

She walked back inside, finding the actor in a booth on the floor with two of the puppies fighting each other for dominance. It looked like a wrestling match, Jared being the guest spectator. He looked so taken by the sight before him. The huskies occasionally stopped to nip at his fingers whenever he tried to interfere.

"Were you thinking of buying one, sir?" She asked, as she entered the booth and sat across from him. She wouldn't mind looking after a dog on his behalf. Really, it was like, 'Will you be buying me a puppy today, because your ass won't be taking care of it.'

He picked up the pure white husky and held it up to his face. It licked at him softly, exerting too much of its young energy, and dozed off. "My response to that is a bit morbid, but I'll tell you anyway. I don't like when they die. I love raising them, but I hate how I outlive them. That's why I prefer to visit for right now." He quickly added, not particularly wanting her input on it, "What about you though?"

"No pets. My apartment doesn't allow it."

"I know we're paying you enough to live comfortably." Despite living in California for so long, his Louisianan accent appeared more and more often when he was away from the city. He gave her a smile, "You should be in a condo, at least."

"I'm paying things off, so I can't live _too_ luxuriously."

He stared at her, contemplative, "Have you ever been hiking?"

She shook her head 'no', watching as the grin on his face grew wider. He loved introducing people to new things. Sometimes it took effort when it was laborious or potentially risky, but a simple thing such as a hike was easy enough to talk anyone into doing with him.

They were sitting in the car, Jared giving her the directions for the GPS system. The drive there was lengthy, about two hours away from the hotel. It was his day off, so technically he could do whatever the hell he wanted. He was quiet on the drive there, listening to his music, and messing around on his phone. She didn't mind the silence, considering that it wasn't tension filled this time.

"We're here, Mr. Leto."

"What will it take for you to just call me Jared? There are people I've never met in my life who approach me like we're family. I'd probably feel more comfortable with them when you speak to me like that." He left the car and continued their conversation once she joined him. "Not only that, but it sounds robotic, and irks the living shit out of me."

"It's a habit of manners," She replied, honestly, as they stepped into the wide forest. There was a visible path leading in. There were plenty of times that she wanted to stop and look around in her lifetime, but she was always busy, too busy to do something so simple. She could hear the distant sounds of a waterfall. A strong gust of wind blew past them, shifting her hair in every which way.

She was beginning to understand him. At least, a tiny bit, since she could certainly see the appeal that comes with nature. The air she breathed in was fresh and the scenery was soothing.

"What's the last thing you spent your money on? Wait, no. What is the last thing that you bought for yourself? It has to be something you wanted, but did not need."

"It was a stuffed animal, I think. Maybe a keychain."

"When did you purchase it?" He helped her over a ridge with an outstretched hand, just now noticing the shoes that she was wearing for today's festivities. They sure as fuck weren't suitable. She'd end up with blisters or a sprained ankle in those heels, yet she didn't complain. That's what he gets for being spontaneous.

"It was maybe a year or two ago? It could have been longer. It was whenever I started paying off my student loans. I'm kinda terrified of debt."

He didn't even know what she'd attended college for, having hired her without looking into anything. Usually he would have a background check done. She could have been a meth addict for all he knew. That was how blindly he'd trusted his source. "What did you major in?"

"Psychology. Well, Pediatric Psychology, which begs the question. How on earth did I end up being a personal assistant."

If it weren't for all the psychology books he'd seen lying around, he would have a difficult time believing her. Why? Not because she wasn't capable, but because she'd accepted a job that was so contrary and outlandish to what she had in mind. "That is an appropriate question, especially when you had been recommended to me..."

"Who would do that? I don't even know anyone famous or in the industry. I mean, before I met you. It's been a whole new world. Flying carpets, genies, and whatever else you might remember from Aladdin." She shook her head, "See, that was a missed opportunity. I should have used that one on Clark."

"It was my mother who vouched for you." He said, as he grabbed her hand again, helping her up the hill. It was becoming instinctual, as though he were taking care of a child who was accident prone. He didn't want her to scrape her knee or worse.

"I've spoken to her once and it was to relay that unholy, 'don't drink the water' message." They shared a laugh over it. He knew how his mother was and he could see that happening. Although, the girl hadn't presented it with the same alarm, but the panic must've been there on the other end.

"If you're truly up for getting to the bottom of this, then you have to figure out who around you knows my mother."

"Or, _or_ …" They stopped at an uneven area of terrain, where he had helped her up. Her hands were still resting on his forearms, as she steadied herself. "We can _not_ go with the Sherlock tipoff to Nancy Drew and you could just call your mother and get the answer from her?"

"You must think she's an easy woman." He shook his head at her, his blue eyes catching in the sun, warming her through when he stared down at her, "She wouldn't tell me. Hell, she might've secretly enlisted you just to have me psycho analyzed. She does still consider me a child."

"Hm, I wonder why," she joked, as she walked on ahead of him to look at the waterfall. It was absolutely beautiful. Her hands patted at her shorts, wanting to get out her phone, so that she could take a picture of it. "I left my phone in the car."

"Mine is in my bag, which is also in the car." He almost never forgets to take his phone. Too many people called or messaged him. It was like an appendage at this point. "I'm sure the world will live on without my immediate attention. And remind me to buy you new heels when we get back, since those are bound to be ruined by the time we're done."

"It's fine. I don't even like this pair–ah!" The moment she'd walked away from him was the moment she'd lost her footing and slid. She dug her nails into the dirt, unable to grab hold any roots along the way. It was when she felt the drop, for as briefly as it was, that she knew she was in trouble. She landed hard on her back with her heart pounding wildly against her chest.

 _Ga-guhn…Ga-guhn…Ga-guhn…_

She could hear him calling her name, but she didn't have the strength to respond. She was too afraid to move, too terrified of what could have been wrong, or broken.

"Fuck," she rasped, closing her eyes against the pain. This was humiliating.

Jared headed down the path where she'd tumbled and found her at the bottom of the drop. The jump down was bearable, because it _had_ to be. The height hardly mattered, as he landed on his boots a couple feet away from her. There were cuts on her legs, but none were terribly deep. She'd lost the heels, which he was positive would end up being an actual loss. This woman was dishonest, after all, and paying back her debts.

"Can you move?" He asked, as he tucked back green strands of hair behind his ear, and hovered over her. "Start slow and move your arms."

She did as he asked and was relieved that they were only sore. "It's not that bad."

"Now your legs," He commanded, gently. He was impatient to learn if she would be in severe pain or not. The sharp scream she'd let out during her fall had been enough to startle him, emotionally, perhaps.

"It's difficult, but I don't think anything is broken or sprained, which is lucky." She was still being positive, despite the situation. It aggravated him.

"Quite." He moved his arm beneath her head and at the back of her legs. "I have to lift you up. Let me know if anything hurts."

She nodded, turning her face into his shoulder when he picked her up, and he held her against him more securely. A quick spasm of pain shot into her back, but it seemed to lessen the longer she was in the same position for. "My back hurts a bit more than anything else, but it's going away, I think."

"The pain you'll feel tomorrow will probably be worse, than it is right now. We'll have to take some preventive measures, a painkiller or two." He felt her place her hand at the front of his chest, holding onto him, as he walked through the forest. He would have to find a way to get back to where they were, without climbing back up. It was a task, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

"What happened to my shoes?" She mumbled, feeling ridiculous the longer she stared at her bare feet.

"Oh, they're long gone." She could hear the amusement in his tone. "Now I'll really have to replace them. It was my fault you fell in the first place."

"I'll never let you do that."

"It going to happen. You believe me, don't you?" He paused to look down at her, their mouths only inches away from touching. "You've been working for me. Tell me, what kind of a man am I?"

He was a man who kept his promises, which didn't bode well with the situation at hand. "No, Jared."

He adjusted her in his arms. Once again, bringing their faces so incredibly close, that she felt his breath on her skin when he spoke, "Did you just call me Jared? Why, that's so weird."

She really didn't have to tolerate this anymore. "You can probably put me down now. I can see the road."

"You haven't seen your legs yet," He said, being all too aware of the wet sensation of her blood rubbing against his skin. "There should be a first aid kit in the car."

"I'm sorry that I ruined our hike."

"There'll be other chances." Would there be? He probably wouldn't want to hike with her once he discovered that she was going to quit. Her letter of resignation was signed and in the car. All she had to do was hand it over to him.

He set her down against the tree nearest of the car, "I'll need the keys."

She raised her hips, reaching into the back pocket of her shorts. It was empty. She'd lost the fucking keys during her tumble. She set herself down, "I don't have them."

"I'll retrace our steps and see if I can find them. Worst case scenario, I get to break a window, so we can get our phone." He could see the regret and worry on her face. It was for him and not for herself.

He leaned down next to her, reaching his fingers out to the small cut beneath her eye. She winced at the light contact, and stared up at him. His eyes were bright and inquisitive, reading her as though he could see everything she had yet to reveal to _anyone_. Was this the same person from before? He was never this nice…

"I'll be right back. Stay put."

She watched him for as long as she could and lost sight of him when he disappeared through the forest. There was plenty of light left, but she couldn't help but feel concerned. She really didn't even want him to leave, but she was useless. And he had a plan, which included a more reckless backup plan should it fail.

'Come back soon,' she thought to herself, as she listened to the loud silence around her. 

* * *

**TBC**


	6. Savior

Limes with Lipstick

* * *

 _I know you don't think I can hear you now,_  
 _but I'm listening, I'm listening_

Chapter Six: _Savior_

In the end, the actor wasn't able to retrieve her heels, let alone the damn keys. He returned to the car with a rock in his hand. Their eyes locked and she could see that he had no success. The dark look on his face told her all she needed to know. It was why she decided to keep her mouth shut and allowed him to do whatever he felt was necessary. He brought the rock to the driver side window and smashed it into pieces with every flex of his arm.

He reached in and unlocked the door, collecting their things, including the first-aid kit from the glove compartment. She looked sickly, paler than she had been before he left. It could have been from the cold, since the temperature was beginning to drop considerably.

"Try calling someone while I get you bandaged up," He said, as he opened the box, and started to retrieve the peroxide and cotton swabs.

She stared back at the _no signal_ logo on her phone and laughed, "It's like a bad horror movie."

"The tough guy is always the first to go." He looked at her seriously, "Maybe _you_ should be worried."

"Ha. Ha. I can't get a signal."

He slid his hand over the back of her leg, holding it firmly, as he poured the peroxide over her wounds. She flinched at the pain, glaring hard at the amused expression he was wearing.

"Try my phone." Jared handed it over to her, before continuing with his process and placing band-aids down her legs. Each side seemed to have at least four cuts, some more severe than others. It was true that she wouldn't need stitches, but he hoped she was a fan of scars.

"No service."

"Maybe it _is_ a horror movie," He teased, as he collected a dab of the Neosporin on one of the cotton swabs. "I need you to come closer to me."

"Any closer and I'll be in your lap." Any closer and she wouldn't feel very safe was what she had meant to say.

"Then I'll come closer." He leaned in and held the side of her face, keeping her from pulling away from the angle that he needed, so that he could work with what little light they had left. Blue eyes stared at her seriously, "Why must I keep you still?"

"Sorry."

He gently moved the swab along the cut beneath her eye, before placing a smaller band-aid there. "I know you don't trust me, but in situations like these, you might want to start."

She nodded numbly, realizing that perhaps she was being ridiculous. It wasn't like he was a predator. He hadn't even mentioned their kiss, let alone acted on it with another.

"We should start walking back. Best case scenario, we get a signal, and make our calls. Second best case scenario, we hitch a ride, even if I must persuade them sexually." He winked at her, letting her know that he was only joking, although she wouldn't put it past him. "Worst case scenario, we're forced to walk the entire way back to the venue."

He helped her to her feet and frowned at the limp she'd acquired with her first few steps. There was no sound of pain or any complaints, just a consistent, abnormal arch of her left foot to keep the weight off of it. With the sun still overhead, they had no other choice, than to make use of it.

Jared dropped down in front of her on one knee. His arms were extended out to her from behind his back, "I'll have to carry you if we're to make it there – anywhere, by nightfall."

"I'm fine with walking."

"I'm not fine." He shook his head at her. "You don't even release a breath when you're hurt. You don't say that you're in pain. You're _that_ kind of person and it's fucking dangerous."

"I don't understand…" Truly, she didn't, even as she gave into the silence that followed and obeyed him. She knelt down and crossed her arms around his neck. He adjusted her when he stood up, shifting her slightly when his arms went beneath her legs.

Being piggybacked had come with an odd, weightless feeling. It was something she quite enjoyed. He walked with ease along the vacant and dusty road. Her job was to constantly look at their phones for signal.

"Were you in a horror movie?" She asked, because conversation was key at this point, she needed it, otherwise she would be paying too much attention to everything – her weight, his heart beat, the smell of his hair, how good it felt to be nestled onto his back like some alien ameba searching for its host. You know, the usual stuff.

"Uh, let's see." The beginning of his acting career was a blur, banished to the purposefully blinding section of his brain. "There was American Psycho."

"No thanks to awkward Christian Bale. Next."

"Urban Legends."

"With Tara Reid?"

"That would be the one, yes."

"It's been so long," she laughed, instinctively closing her hands into the front of his shirt. "I remember! You were the journalist."

"When you start off in the film industry, it's almost always in a horror movie. It had to be done. Apparently twice for me, but it's offensive how you don't know this already. You're my assistant."

"I know…it's pretty bad."

"Look at the sky," Jared said, as he stared ahead at the angry, gray clouds that had started to form. It was going to rain, no doubt.

"The clouds are telling you what they think of your acting choices."

He rolled his eyes and inched her further up, enjoying the feel of her against him. She was warm and it was mostly due to the fever she hadn't noticed yet. He wasn't quite sure about her reaction to being ill. Personally, he always felt sicker, than he actually was when someone would point it out to him. It was the last thing he needed to deal with.

"I always hated how fast the clouds would go by," she said, voice growing into a whisper. She was exhausted and hurting all over. "It used to make me dizzy."

A large droplet of rain landed against Jared's arm and he knew that the rain would come down heavy. To be honest, he hadn't paid much attention to their ride up. He couldn't remember seeing any stops or exits. Aside from that, he was unfamiliar with the area.

Thunder cracked loudly, but the girl didn't even jump in response. The rain fell on them and all they could hear was the incessant pattering on the asphalt. The stretch of road ahead of them was difficult for Jared to see and it was more dangerous, than he cared to acknowledge. It was a good thing storms like these didn't tend to last very long.

According to her, there was still no signal five minutes ago when she checked both phones. It was about a half a mile drenched from the unforgiving downpour that Jared could make out a sign in neon lighting. It read the word, 'BAR'. There was indeed civilization, their refuge, in a small pub to be exact, which probably pulled in a crowd consisting of highway dwellers.

He gently placed his assistant down onto her feet, but he didn't let her go, as he caught her by the arm. She leaned into him, not having the strength to do anything else. Her body was shaking hard from the chill of the rain and what she was slowly beginning to realize was a fever. All she wanted was a warm bath and bed. What that such a difficult thing to manage?

"Let me go in and make a call," She said, trying to be diplomatic about it. "If you get recognized, lord only knows what will happen."

"It's highly unlikely."

She looked at his bright green hair, "Believe me, you stand out."

"I meant that it's unlikely that I'll allow you to go in there alone."

"How can I put this in a way that you'll better understand? If this were a Disney movie, I would be Mulan. That's how competent I am."

"Mulan wasn't running a fever." He turned her so that she faced him, meeting the serious expression on his face.

"A fever isn't _that_ serious."

He simply stared at her, watching her carry on without a lick of sense. In the midst of her sickly condition she'd at least dropped the 'sir' and 'Mr.', which Jared found to be quite relaxing, if not for how stubborn she was being.

The actor made sure that he walked on through the doors with his arm around her shoulders. The pungent smell of tobacco hit his lungs when he breathed in the thick air around them. There was music from a live band playing in an area that was sectioned off not too close to the tables where people were enjoying their food and conversation. Not that it did much.

He brought her to one of the tables and pulled out a chair for her. She sat down and covered her arms, unable to stop the chills wracking throughout her body. He took their phones and placed them down. At least he had his wallet on him and he'd be able to get them some food. He picked up the menu in search for something he could buy her. Usually his eyes would attack the vegan section.

Soups, soups, soups…

"How do you feel about soup?" He asked, eyes still skimming over the selection.

"I don't even want to think about food…"

"Start thinking about this chicken noodle."

Their phones jumped to life as the signal hit, waves of text messages, voice mails, and missed calls coming through.

"The moment we look is the moment we get sucked in," He warned, stopping her from reaching for her cell. "Eat something and then you can play."

She looked at him skeptically, "You're surprisingly good at this."

He remained silent, until the waitress walked up. "One vegan tomato soup and one chicken noodle, please."

The woman paused on her heel and bent slightly, "Oh, my lucky stars! You're that guy, right?"

"I'm that guy." Jared stared at her, his eyes hard to misplace once you've seen them in person. The too blue color tended to burn itself into their skulls. It was one of his more prominent features and he used it to stun every woman into silence.

"If it's not too much, could you take a picture with me?"

He stood up from his seat, excusing himself with a wry smile. There was a wall lined with photos of family and musicians. The girl wondered briefly if Jared's photo would end up there. She rested her head on the tops of her sore arms. With the ache of her fever, she could feel every other pain from her tumble.

Yet everything inside her fought to keep it together. Maybe it was from being in Jared's presence. Something wasn't allowing her to crumble.

When he returned to the table, it was with two club sodas. He placed hers down in front of her, "It's ginger ale."

"Okay, what gives, sir?" Oh, hell, it was back. "You're giving me whiplash. Are you an ass or are you… not an ass…"

Real eloquent.

He decided to answer the statement she'd made earlier, the one about him being seemingly good at what must have been taking care of someone. "I used to babysit this brat when I was younger. She was afraid of everything, including whenever she would get sick. It was the end of the world – not like it happened very often. Everything my mother did for me as a child had come out and I knew then that I had learned something useful without knowing it. "

When he saw the serious look she was fixing him, he'd burst into laughter, "It's the basics. Anyone with common sense can order soup and a ginger ale. It's nothing special."

It wasn't just the soup and the soda. He had treated her wounds and intended on carrying her to safety like some damn hero. The walk could have gone on for hours and it wouldn't have mattered to him. There was more to it, than just common sense. It was instinctual and admirable. And she'd watched him shrug it off his shoulders like it was nothing.

 _'I'll start to like you if you don't stop, you idiot'_ , her mind cursed him, as she sipped the chilled soda.

After their soup arrived, Jared took the liberty of placing in their phone calls. He'd found their location on the front of the bar menu on the table. A driver would be picking them up shortly and someone else would be calling the local tow company with the details the actor had given them.

"I could have made the call."

"I bet you could have, however, due to your stuffiness, I doubt anyone would be able to understand much of what you're saying." He leaned in across the table, resting his chin on the bridge of his fingers. "You can put your sword and shield away, Mulan. Your country is safe now."

 _This guy…_

"I feel like I keep losing to you."

"Then my advice would be to stay down."

 _'I'm sure you'd love that,'_ she thought, enjoying the moment for all it was worth. Too bad she felt like total crap and probably looked it, too.

Jared's phone went off when the driver called from outside the establishment. She slung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed onto his forearm when he offered it. The fever hadn't lessened and her legs trembled the longer she was on her feet. He helped her into the backseat of the car and slid in next to her.

"You could get sick."

It could cause a whole world of problems, yet he didn't budge.

"You were plastered onto my back for a long while. So, I'm pretty much a goner anyway." He patted his shoulder, gesturing for her to rest her head on him.

"I'm not tired," she said, bringing a hand up to stifle her yawn. It was absolutely ridiculous. He brought his hand up and guided her head towards him. She didn't have the strength to fight it, as she closed her eyes, and fell right to sleep. 

* * *

_What had she done wrong? Her small shoulders shook, as fresh tears drew lines down her face. She'd lost something and although the house was filled with noise, it was so incredibly empty. She knew that she was alone._

 _It had become clear to her that the boy was not coming back._

* * *

 **TBC _  
_**


	7. Betrayal

**A/N:** Wow! So much feedback. Thank you very much. I'm so happy to be writing something that you guys are enjoying. I love it! I wrote a majority of this tipsy, so I'm very not sorry about that. Just letting you know. Happy Halloween!

* * *

Limes with Lipstick

* * *

I'm not calling you a liar, just don't lie to me  
I'm not calling you a thief, just don't steal from me

Chapter Seven: _Betrayal_

The moment she moved was the second she regretted waking up in the first place. Everything hurt, but at least she didn't feel sick. Several times throughout her dream, she'd watched herself fall. The shocked expression on Jared's face was devastating as it replayed. He had been inches away from grabbing her, so close that she'd felt safe. Being afraid was customary to her, as it had followed her throughout her entire life.

Acting tough and _being_ tough were two separate things. Why did it seem like Jared could tell the difference?

It was the middle of the night when she saw the digital clock on the bedside table and the room was dark for the exception of the hallway light. It was Jared's hotel room. How or when they arrived, she couldn't remember. She'd envisioned the actor picking her up in bridal fashion and whisking her away to comfort.

That wasn't his style though. She was not blinded by his caring and generous behavior from earlier. Every man was prone to save a damsel in distress. The sincerity he'd shared with her at the pub was just a simple slip of his defenses. He would be back to his usual dickish behavior in no time, especially since she felt better.

She turned over in search for a cold spot on the pillow. Jared was next to her asleep with his head on his arm. He breathed lightly, his face one of contentment, as he remained oblivious to the pair of eyes transfixed on him then. In truth, she'd never been close enough to study his features. No, if you get too close, you'll get burned – that type of analogy.

Those alarms in her head were silent, as she inched closer to him, and carefully reached out her hand. He'd touched her without reservation plenty of times. It was childish to settle scores by treading over the smooth skin of his cheek. She traced her thumb with slow precision along the bridge of his nose to the curve of his top lip.

His mouth parted at the light pressure of her finger, as he pressed a kiss against it. The girl's reaction was to pull away on instinct, when his hand shot out and he grabbed her by the wrist.

She was caught quite literally and refused to look at him, although she was able to feel his eyes burning into her skin. Why did she bother hesitating anymore? Her fingers closed into a fist and she made a decision, as she pressed herself against him, and kissed him softly.

Their kiss was slow at first, a pressure that gradually deepened, when he sighed against her mouth, and filled his lungs with her breath. He moved his hands through her hair, keeping her still, while he teased the tip of his tongue between her lips, until they parted for him. She felt lightheaded by him, as he turned so that he could press her more firmly into the mattress. The weight of his body was comfortable, as his hips settled between her thighs, causing necessary friction.

His hands felt strong across her skin, although he was aware of how careful he had to be, and for two different reasons, one being that she was injured, and the other was that she could run away at any moment. A part of him almost guaranteed that she would, but the more selfish side of him wanted to take all that he could, for as long as it lasted.

His words teased across her lips in a low and heady breath, "I want you to touch me, like I'm touching you…" He skimmed his fingers beneath the hem of her shirt for the emphasis, his short nails digging into her soft skin, inching the fabric up with every rough caress.

Her arms felt numb then, unable to move. If it was one thing she was clumsy at, it was this – the act of sexual congress. While most individuals allow their animalistic urges to overcome them, she'd always thought way too damn much.

Their lips separated so that he could remove his shirt, pulling it up from the collar, and dropping it to the floor. She could feel the heat from his body through her clothing, as he pressed himself against her, warming her through instantly. Hesitantly, she brought her hands to his back, feeling his over his shoulders, and down the length of his spine.

He sucked in a breath, surprisingly sensitive to the slightest touch. It had given her a foreign sense of power, one that wasn't about to last too long. He closed his fingers around her wrists and held them above her head. She flushed beneath the accusatory glare he'd fixed on her and leaned up to kiss his mouth in quiet retaliation.

The small gasps and moans he pulled from her drove him into an inescapable darkness. He had always thought of passion as being pitch black, because it was infinite and whole. He dragged his lips from her mouth to the side of her neck, claiming her in several spots. Her skin bruised easily, as he'd seen from earlier. He pulled back long enough to admire the red marks that had formed wherever he touched.

She wouldn't be able to deny it or forget, at least not for a little while. The grin on his face was smug and infuriating. It was shameful how much she wanted him, how loudly she was panting, and how noticeable it was that she was trembling. The heat she felt in the pit of her lower stomach grew tight, aching.

It was terrifying.

The thought of giving herself to him was… absolutely…

 _No…_

She tried pulling herself away from him.

He released her arms the moment he felt her tense up. She stopped kissing him and as he stared down at her, he could see the fear and doubt in her eyes. Words weren't spoken, as she scooted out from beneath him, and stood up from the bed. She found the light switch and looked around for her things, as if her abrupt actions were normal.

The shirt she was wearing wasn't her own. "You dressed me in this?"

"You dressed yourself in that," he commented, pulling the sheets closer to his lower half. The last thing he wanted to reveal to her, although he was positive that she must've felt it, was his erection. "You can borrow it if you'd like…"

She nearly tripped over his shoes, spotting a nice set of slippers along the way. He nodded at her silently, giving her the 'go' to take them with her as well. What with her losing her heels during her tumble, she was going to need them.

"I don't think I've ever helped a woman run away from me before."

She looked at him apologetically, "Look, it was nice to be wanted, but I'm not it. I know I'm not it. Once you sleep with me, then it's over. That's how it always is and those few times in my life, thinking that I was with the right guy, I was just oblivious to the harm that was being done, but I can't be stupid enough to knowingly step on the glass this time."

"You're right. I'm glass. I'm fucked up and I have a history." He got up to his feet, the sheets sliding away from his body – his gorgeously toned body. Hell if it wasn't distracting. "I hurt people and I don't care in what fashion, so long as it destroys them. Do you know how far down I've sunk not to be able to hear my family, my friends, or my fans? How is it that I can hear you?"

They stood there staring at each other in silence. This was not Jared Leto's redemption. There was no way in hell, in his mind, that he could ever be redeemed. He didn't know where the words had even come from. His black little heart, was it? Or was this another game of his? Not even he could tell if he was being sincere or not.

He looked away from her, which seemed to break the spell, since she was able to function again. She grabbed her bag from the chair and spared him one last look, "I'm sorry."

It was a bitter relief that he hadn't stopped her from leaving. If he had, she probably would have stayed, even if it went against her own feelings. That was what he did and that is why he was dangerous to be around.

As she made it to the lobby, the staff behind the front desk waved her over. "Yes?"

"The gentleman in room eleven-twelve requested that we call you a cab. Please wait here, until it arrives." The woman behind the desk gestured towards the seating area. Was he serious? Taking care of her the whole way through, huh?

"How did you know…"

"He said to look for 'a woman wearing slippers and a jean button up shirt'. Plus you two always walk in together." She leaned over from across the desk, her perfect blond hair falling to one side. "Tell me, what is it like working with him?"

Well, this question never gets old.

"Have you ever found a five dollar bill on the street, a penny facing up, or a four leaf clover? It's like winning tickets to a STOMP concert or an all expense paid vacation to the Bahamas or Hell." The woman looked at her oddly at the last bit, not sure what to make of it. "Oh, I meant Hell, Michigan. It's a wonderful place. You'll have to go there sometime."

The cab arrived the moment she was semi comfortable in one of the many impossibly stiff chairs that the hotel had to offer. Once she was inside the car, the first thing she thought to do was to check her phone, scrolling through the missed calls, and messages.

It was too late to call anyone back. The ride to the venue was silent and somewhat relaxing, as it had started to drizzle. It reminded her of earlier, when he'd carried her through what had felt like a proper storm at the time. She paid the driver and stumbled her way into the lot. She was starting to feel her fall worse than she had before, just like Jared told her would happen.

 _Bastard…_

She unlocked the door to her trailer and would have loved to sink down to the floor dramatically, but her body hurt too much to do that. She was in too much pain to feel sorry for herself and too damn tired to cry, or to care.

She landed face first into her pillows, closing her fingers in the shirt she'd apparently stolen from him, and squeezed hard at the front pocket covering her heart. It was moments later that she'd succumbed to the comfort of sleep.

 _Let's not dream of him._

* * *

 _"I'm going to close my eyes and count to ten," the girl said, explaining the not so complex rules of Hide and Seek. Jared allowed her to think that she'd taught him something new, like it was a game that he hadn't played a thousand times before during his own childhood. "I'll count really slowly while you try to hide. When I call out ten, I'll come and find you."_

 _He would have preferred to be out on his date tonight. Unfortunately, he was stopped to babysit the brat again. It was starting to become more frequent, but he didn't have the heart to disobey his mother._

 _The girl's parents were in the middle of a divorce. He'd never met her father, but he knew that her mother was working hard by herself. Sometimes she wouldn't get in until after eleven. At least he was welcomed to the fridge and cable all night._

 _When she started to count, he slipped out the backdoor, and walked around to the front of the house. He'd called Lindsay Baker on over, so that their date could happen anyway. It just wouldn't be the atmosphere he'd imagined initially._

 _He waited and was able to hear his name being called from inside the house._

 _That little voice…_

 _She would probably start crying soon. Predictably.  
_

* * *

The actor had slept like complete and total shit, a habit he thought he'd put behind him by strict regimentation. He tried like hell to get rid of his insomnia. After handling things with the front desk, he'd stood under the hot spray of the shower with his hand closed around himself. Her moans echoed off the walls around him. He could still see the flush of her skin and taste her on his lips.

Relieving himself with the addition of the shower made him feel exhausted physically, but he couldn't turn off his thoughts. He'd filled his life up with so many things. He made it so that he was busy all of his life, for the rest of his life. There was no room for anything else. He didn't want to need anyone.

It wasn't the first time he'd been enticed by a beautiful woman. They seemed to follow wherever he went. If he had a problem with other guys, it was usually over a woman. If he wanted to have sex, it was easy enough for him to achieve. Why should he need anything more?

When he thought of his assistant, he thought of her as someone who was safe. She was the girl you would want to store away for the future, ten years ago, for him. He was already in his early forties. She was young and had her whole life ahead of her. She deserved someone who would want marriage and children – why the hell was he thinking of this shit?

He would have her, only once, if he could, because fighting it off was useless.

The knock on his door interrupted him from his thoughts. He opened it without bothering to look, seeing a man standing there in a crisp black suit.

"Hello, Mr. Leto. I'm the one who called the tow company for you last night."

 _Mr. Leto_ … It was the male version of _her_.

"Thank you for doing that for me. I take it that everything went well?"

"Very much, sir. The reason I'm here is because they found some of your belongings in the car. I've come to return them." The man extended his arms with one of the actor's cardigans and what appeared to be a simple white envelope. "Thank you for your time."

"Thank you," Jared said and closed the door once the guy had left. He placed the cardigan over one of the chairs and brought the envelope with him. There was nothing marked on the outside of it that would indicate as to its owner. He knew that it didn't belong to him and yet he opened it anyway. Technically it wasn't official mail and he wouldn't feel sorry for reading something that was left in his car.

It was a letter that was addressed to him and it read:

 _Jared,_

 _I would like to thank you for this tremendous opportunity. Being your assistant has taught me various things that I will take with me to my next endeavor. I will never forget your patience and kindness towards me. However, due to a personal matter, I have decided to resign from my position starting Monday morning._

 _Thank you._

Well, that was awkward. He folded the paper back up calmly and tucked it into the pocket of his jeans. How ridiculous and unprofessional. He got the vibe that she'd never had to resign from a position before. This wasn't a grocery store or the local diner she'd decided to quit from. There were procedures to be upheld.

She didn't even write her name or think of sending it off to his agency, but to him directly. How personal, irresponsible, and brainless! Her lack of experience in what appeared to be every aspect of her adult life annoyed him.

 _Fuck_ , he was angry.

And he had to be in makeup in two hours. It was enough time for him to get his point across. He grabbed his sunglasses and called for a driver. Asking her to come and get him was out of the question. He needed time to mull over her resignation. Sure, she hadn't handed it to him yet, but he enjoyed the somewhat guilty foresight.

He didn't like to lose at anything, since he was competitive by nature.

 _'Tremendous opportunity,'_ His mind taunted him, _'Patience and kindness. She's so full of shit.'_

If she was going to quit, perhaps she would find herself fired before then.

Because Jared Leto never loses, even in cases such as these… 

* * *

**TBC**


	8. Hollow

**A/N:** Thank you for continuing to show your support! I'm opening up a bit more, so that the story can have different avenues. I feel like I rarely touch up on Gee. Of course, what the happened to Jai and Clark? I'm sorry if any of you dislike this chapter or find some of it boring, but I felt like it needed to be done. Thank you.

* * *

Limes With Lipstick

* * *

 _Hey unfaithful, I will teach you_  
 _to be stronger._

Chapter Eight: _Hollow_

The alarm on her phone never went off, since the device was well over dead, and needed to be charged. She plugged her phone in and searched for something to snack on, before she took a painkiller or two. If she was expected to be active, then she would need s _omething_ for the pain, and a nice long shower.

She stripped down and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. What she saw had her frozen completely still. The length of her neck and collarbone were covered in deep red bruises. It was something one would expect to happen in high school, involving normal promiscuous teenagers. This was just worse somehow. Images of last night plagued her mind, from the fall to the pub, his bed, and to her storming out of Jared's hotel room.

It was too warm during the day to be wearing scarves, but she used it in today's attire anyway. The last thing she needed was someone to actually pay attention to her. She made herself a cup of flavored coffee. The selection at the store had been pleasantly exciting. New tea and coffee sticks made her day for the most part.

"Sweet potato and honey coffee, you aren't too bad," She said, after taking a long sip. It was time to go and see where her boss was, despite how they ended things last night. Only she was the one who should have to feel embarrassed about it.

She expected him to be himself, if not more glorified, than usual.

Grabbing her things, she went to reach for the knob on the door, when it was jerked opened. She had almost fallen forward, when a steady hand was at her waist keeping her up. Oh, she knew this person very well.

"Mr. Leto," she breathed, taking a step back inside the trailer. He closed the door behind him and fixed his eyes on her. She could feel the tension, as it hung off of him in a thick cloak. "I was just about to go meet with you."

"I'm here now, so that you may thank me in person." His blue eyes darted to the knitted scarf she was wearing. It was possible that things could have been different now, but in the heat of what felt like betrayal, he wasn't willing to give her any chances.

"I can think of a dozen things that I should be thanking you for…You're going to have to be more specific, sir." Now she was back to being professional. If anything, it only made things easier for him.

"How about you start off by thanking me for the tremendous opportunity that I've given you?" He asked, using her words against her. Her face was filled with confusion, as she stood there lost. He took slow steps closer to her, "For my patience and my kindness, perhaps?"

She unzipped her bag and searched for the white envelope, not seeing it there. He retrieved it from his pocket and held it up in front of her face.

"All resignation letters must be sent and processed through the agency. Furthermore, you must give ample notice." He smoothed back his green hair, impatiently. He wanted to dig into her. "Weren't you ever taught these things or were you just in that much of a rush to get away from me?"

How could he invade her privacy like that? "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to look through other people's belongings?"

She was annoyed. He wasn't supposed to see her stupid resignation letter. The letter itself was more like that of a failsafe. The moment she wanted to leave, she could. It made her feel better when facing him, but now it was like a joke.

"If I hadn't brought this up, would you have used it?"

"I can't answer that for sure."

"So, you were what, saving it for a rainy day? The one thing that I cannot tolerate is..."

"Lying. You can't trust liars, sir," She said, finishing his sentence. It was a fact that she knew all too well now.

He tilted his head, his blue eyes narrowed darkly at her, "You were dishonest with me, _again_ , which is a shame, because I liked you. You were no good as an assistant, but as a person, you were exceptional."

It sounded like he was about to fire her. It made her chest feel as though it were throbbing in a way she'd only experienced a few times throughout her entire life. She was glad that she'd been so lucky as to sidestep being broken by other people on numerous occasions. Today would not be one of those days.

Because she respected him, therefore, disappointing him hurt, more than she was willing to admit to herself.

"I must've not had the confidence to keep this job," she offered with a small shrug. "I wasn't meant to be here anyway. So, if you're firing me, then I'll gladly accept it."

"It's that easy for you, is it?" Her back met the counter behind her when he closed her in. The letter in his hand fell between them. The knitted obstruction was removed from her neck in a single tug. "Of course it is. My first reaction was to be furious. I was livid with you. I'm still mad, you understand that, don't you…"

"I do understand." It was written all over his gorgeous face. His skin was flushed and his jaw was stiff. It was like he was holding something back. "I'm sorry to interrupt our moment, but you are scheduled to be in makeup."

"It can wait."

"It can't…" It really couldn't. He was late enough as it was…

He brought his hand up to her neck, relishing in the marks across her skin. He traced each one slow and meticulously with the tip of his finger.

Jared stared down into her eyes, "Have we met sometime before you were my assistant?"

She shook her head at him, "I would have remembered you."

"I can't tell if you're being nice or not."

"According to you, I'm not all that nice."

"Me neither, but after you hear it so many times, it starts making sense, doesn't it?"

"It's not that you aren't nice." She closed her mouth when he pressed himself against her, trying desperately to collect her thoughts. Her body's natural response was to lean into his touch, to fall under the influence that is him, and to be drunk by it. He smelled wonderful, earthy, and fresh.

"Go on…" He whispered, so close now to her lips.

Oh, that's right. She was trying to speak.

"I'm not going to keep paying you compliments. Overfeeding that ego of yours will only do more harm, than good."

He closed two fingers on her bottom lip, pulling gently. "This mouth...it's filthy, isn't it? You probably hold in what you'd really like to say to me, our situation, the real nitty-gritty, and all that."

She laughed, "I'm sorry. You'll have to remind me again. Are you here to fire me, fuck me, or bore me?"

The side of his mouth twitched up into a smirk, eyes ablaze with amusement. "You've taken the safety off now, but you aren't brave. No, you're a runner. You run."

He detangled himself from her and glanced down at his watch.

"You're late," She said to him, as she brushed past him out the door. Deep breaths, she reminded herself, deep, and steady breaths.

They walked in silence to the makeup trailer. Their shoulders brushed from the close proximity of one another, though neither of them seemed to mind it, or even notice. The stylist was at the counter, sorting through her belongings. When the door opened, she cast the actor a glare that was so glacial hell could have frozen over.

Jared's assistant closed the door behind him and took a seat in one of the unoccupied chairs. She'd sat there before for the entire process. It could have been a lot longer or worse. There were no heavy prosthetics to be done, thankfully. The tattoos, scars, and grill weren't particularly time consuming either.

"Any news about the tour?" He asked, still trying to cool down.

"Your flights are booked. You'll be meeting with your brother at the airport. David grumbled, like really grumbled, but he accepted it all the same."

"I love it when he gets all manly about it." Jared spared the assistant a look, wondering what the hell just happened. He was dead set on firing her one minute, now all was fine and dandy. It had gone back to normal. This would have never happened. Was he going soft?

The door to the trailer swung opened and in walked Jai Courtney, tall and distractingly broad. The Australian saw the girl sitting prettily, as though she were an apparition at first. It made him feel immobilized and haunted all at once. He hadn't seen her in days, but the time had dragged on endlessly it had seemed. He'd wondered if she had been fired or worse.

He had his mother's mind, simply worrisome.

"Ah, well if it isn't the beautiful assistant," Jai said, exuding an alarming sense of confidence, as though he hadn't been concerned by her absence at all.

She looked up at the sound of the familiar accent and beamed a smile at him, "Hey, stranger."

"My sweet girl," he said, as he reached out his hands for her to take them. She allowed him to haul her up into a big hug. His body was warm and hard against her, as he held her still, "Where did you pop off to for all this time?"

There was no pleasant way to explain it, so she gave a careful response instead, "It's been a long, crazy weekend."

He touched a finger to the bandage on her face, speaking softly, "It sounds like you and I should have a little chat about that later."

"In the chair." Jai's stylist pointed to it in a 'down boy' fashion. If only she'd been holding a whip, it would have completed the command. "I need to tame those wild locks before it all goes to hell."

"Say you'll come to dinner with me," Jai said, while he did as he was told, and took a seat. He crossed one of his long legs over the other, comfortably, "There's this French restaurant a few minutes from here. It's not as cheesy as it sounds, I promise."

Jared watched them engage each other in the mirror, brooding quietly to himself, as his skin was undergoing the delicate process of going from natural pale to a pure white.

"I don't know," she said, truly perturbed by the question. It wasn't like many guys asked her out, ever. It was a wonder how she'd even landed her first boyfriend. She was naïve and not in a fun, adorable way, but rather it was obnoxious and annoying.

Either way, Jai's invitation was sudden and even if Jared wasn't within earshot, she would have felt odd about accepting it. Sure, it wasn't like they were dating, but the fact remained that things kept transpiring between them, intimate things. It was like a spark that refused to diminish no matter how many times she tried blowing it out.

Out of all of life's intricacies, she would never understand why people purposefully hurt one another. Was it a game? She wanted Jared to care by unsettling him. Jai's feelings were second to her own personal vendetta. She was almost fired twenty minutes ago. Getting a handle on the situation would be in her best interest.

"Tonight after the shoot," she started saying, as she shoved her guilt to the side. She didn't belong to anyone. Testing the waters, going out for the evening with Jai, why couldn't she do those things? "I'd love to go out to dinner."

Even though her eyes were trained on the floor, she could feel the heat of Jared stare, trying to penetrate through her resolve. The desire to see the look on his face then was almost irresistible, but she refused it.

The door swung open once more, hitting the wall loudly. Clark was standing there with his hands on his knees, doubled over, and out of breath. His glasses were halfway off his face and his usually tame hair was all disheveled. "You run way too fast…" He sucked in another breath. "There's no way I'll ever beat you."

"Just give it up, Clarkie," Jai said, amused by his assistant.

* * *

Out on set, it was quiet as the film was rolling. The scenery mimicked every Gotham cliché, dark shadows, and wet glittering streets. The scene was focused on Jared, following every eccentric wave of his arms. He was very animated, unable to stay still. It wasn't unlike the Joker, but he accomplished every movement with elegance.

Pale fingers combed through electric green hair, as dark lips turned up into a wide smile. He was all business and calculating. The suite had been tailored to perfection, sharp, and refined. The buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing his toned pale chest and black ink. Watching him was like looking at art. You try to interpret what you're seeing, emotions evoked in its message, and you can't stop taking it in.

Indeed he was the Clown Prince of Crime.

She grabbed one of the large coats Jared had brought with him to the set. When the director called 'cut', she made her way on over to him, and helped him into the sleeves. The chilly night air was biting through her clothing. There was too much going on right in front of her that she had remained oblivious to how cold it actually was...

It was when Jared's hand grabbed hers that she'd noticed that she was freezing and he was scolding hot. With the addition of the portable heaters, he was bound to be at a comfortable temperature.

He pulled her closer, so that she was standing in front of him. The makeup outlining his eyes made him appear sinister, although his voice was soft. "Why are you so cold? Is this bulky thing not warm enough for you?"

Jared tugged at the scarf and frowned when her hands stopped him from freeing it. His care was genuine, as he removed his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. Blue eyes searched hers then, trying to read her thoughts.

"You're really going out with Jai tonight? I thought I told you to stay away from him."

Her head shot up at the question. "Will you try and persuade me not to?"

 _'Tell me it's a bad idea,_ ' her mind demanded, wanting him to tell her that it was true. She shouldn't be doing this. It would take away from her credibility.

"It's not my job to dictate your private life." And just like, her fantasy ended. There was no fight or argument. Where were his immature acts of jealousy? He brought his hand up to the back of her head, petting down her hair soothingly. "I'll see myself to the hotel. Enjoy your evening."

He stepped away from her and off the platform, leaving his assistant there beneath the lights. The actor's night would mostly consist of having his makeup removed and more script reading. Sure, his heart was dark enough to feel the irrepressible rage of knowing that she would be going out to dinner with another man, a man who had made his feelings more than clear, when he hadn't.

Jai Courtney was perpetually fucking irritating.

* * *

Gee was at the pinnacle of boredom, having been robbed of her best friend. Her good, moralized best friend, the only person who was able to keep her grounded. The only person to influence her to be better, than what she was, and what she was, was reckless. Gee had done terrible things throughout her entire life.

Being in the company of men had sort of become a nightly ritual. Whether it was for free drinks or a guiltless fuck, she really was beyond the point of helping herself. All this time she thought that she was easing a pain that had been there for years and that the company would close the gap at the center of her chest.

But she felt alone, even though there was a body right beside her then. He was warm and firm with his arm wrapped securely around her waist. It didn't make her feel safe. The trysts were always brief and she was always so fearless in the moment. It took courage to bring complete strangers home to her bedroom.

Her mind was still groggy from the alcohol. It would be hours before the stranger would wake up and leave the vicinity. She couldn't sleep with another person there – breathing, existing. She moved his arm from around her and grabbed her robe from the back of her computer chair.

The phone on the desk was lighting up, letting her know that she had a missed call. She picked up the device and headed into the bathroom. It was her best friend, perhaps her only true love at this point, no matter how sad it was…

Gee tilted her head to keep the phone between her head and shoulder, "You rang?"

The assistant was looking through her wardrobe, "I need your help."

"Boy, that's a phrase I never get tired of hearing." Gee picked up her pack of cigarettes and opened the sliding door to her balcony.

"I've done something bad."

She lit up the cigarette and leaned over the black iron fence, taking in New York, "Bad for you is finishing the last cookie and not throwing away the box."

How should she put it? "I accepted the terms of a date, but it isn't with Jared. It's with Jai and he's gorgeous, but… "

"Who the hell says that?" Gee blew the nicotine from her lungs impatiently. "You've accepted the terms of use of dating? This is why we're surprised when you actually bag someone. It's like, 'Her? No.' And then we all share a great incredulous laugh about it.'"

"Wow, thanks Gee."

"Dating more than one person at a time is actually normal. You date, date, date, until you find the right one. Technically, you're not even going out with Jared, so I don't see the problem."

"I agreed to the date for a reaction," she admitted, shamefully. "And he was cool about the whole thing."

"Men really hate it when girls are insecure. Insecurity is self-sabotaging."

Yeah, well, what girl can help it? "Blue dress or the black one?"

"The blue one, of course. Save the black one for Jared. He is the guy you like, right?"

"I don't think I've come to that conclusion yet."

"Oh, that's weird, because it sounds like you have, otherwise all of this bullshit wouldn't be such an issue." Christ, she was losing her temper. Her friend's predicaments were nothing, _nothing_ in comparison to the hell that she faced on a daily basis.

"Bullshit? You sound weird, Gee. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just that my throat is a little raw from screaming all night. You know me. I never turn down a good fuck." She buried the cigarette in the sand she'd stolen from the beach, until it went out.

She could hear her friend cringing on the other end, as she said, "That's so crude and you know I hate it when you say things like that to me."

"So, it's alright if I do it, just not okay if I say it?"

"You know that I want you to meet a good guy. No, a great guy! The guys we used to talk about all night."

"I met those guys. They're not that great. Soon you stop looking and just accept it for what it is…hopeless."

"I really needed my friend tonight, but I guess she's not around, so I'm going to go panic, and put on this blue dress. Have a good night. I love you, Genie." Always the, 'I love you' at the end, as though she were saying it to family.

She closed the phone on Gee and stood there for a moment, going over their conversation in her head. There was something off, which wasn't unusual. Every few months or so, Gee would go through her bouts of depression. Then she would bounce back, the cloud gone before the rain could fall.

The appointments she'd made for Gee always landed her a hefty bill for last minute cancellations. The extent of her help reached its limits.

She attempted to carry on with her evening.

Now Jai Courtney was not Jared Leto, yet she still covered herself in makeup and her best perfume. The kind you bought in vials, since it was too expensive to afford in a bottle. The blue dress was complimentary, as it clung to her curves. It wasn't like she was asking for danger, but the man was an actor bringing her out for French cuisine. This was only ever something she'd imagined as a girl.

There was a knock on the trailer door, so she grabbed her purse, and headed down the steps. Clark was standing there adjusting his glasses.

He set his eyes on her, biting back a compliment, "I've come to fetch you."

"Fetch? Will you be getting a treat at the end of the night?" She took his hand when he offered it to help her down. The heels were newish, not quite broken in yet.

Clark walked in step with her towards the car, "Look at you being all witty. You'll need that."

"That's reassuring," she muttered, distastefully. She was already nervous from getting into tonight's argument with her best friend about these exact plans. The last thing she needed to do was freak out.

The door opened, as Jai stepped out to greet her.

 _'All bad ideas start out like this'_ , she thought, _'every single one'._

* * *

 **TBC _  
_**


	9. Quiet Things

A/N: Probably not the hottest thing I've ever written. I'll be responding back to feedback in a little bit.

* * *

Limes With Lipstick

* * *

Chapter Nine: _Quiet Things_

The restaurant was packed, as one might suspect of any found treasure. The place was a hole in the wall, which had been a pleasure to discover. It seemed like a place that most people would easily look right past from the outside.

That or maybe he was just good at dating. She shook her head at her own thoughts, allowing him to scoot her chair in for her. He unbuttoned the middle of his suit jacket and sat down. There was a pleased grin upon his face, like a tiger licking its lips before a meal. He finally had her, candles, and silverware. Though frankly, the best part about their alone time was that Jared wasn't around to end it short.

"I have a feeling this place is about to serve me some really great food." The assistant picked up the menu in front of her and gazed down at the translated descriptions of French dishes. "I haven't been to a real restaurant like this in forever."

"I'm sure you've realized this, but I thought that I should mention that tonight is my treat."

"I won't fight you on that." Their eyes lingered on one another, her face growing serious, "Don't expect me to order a salad."

"That's all good and fine, sweet girl. Just don't chastise me for ordering too much wine."

This made her a little nervous. "So, you enjoy drinking, then?"

"When I'm allowed to drink, yes." He winked at her, "But don't you worry, I'm a big boy. Wine doesn't have much of an effect on me. I've obviously just trying to show off."

When the waiter stopped at their table, she was able to see what he meant by 'showing off'. He placed his order in what sounded like perfect French. There was a separate menu for wine and it seemed as though both men were deliberating over the best choice. When it had finally come time to say what she wanted to order, she had trouble speaking.

"He speaks English, my darling. There's no need to feel shy."

The waiter nodded at her reassuringly, "What will you be having this evening?"

She had given her order, but it didn't stop her from feeling inadequate. Mr. Bilingual was all sorts of smug, as he stared at her. Hopefully he wouldn't ask her if she had any hidden talents, since the answer would be a negative.

"I want to hear about this crazy weekend." He gestured with a finger at the cut on her face. She had removed the bandage earlier, now it was just a thin gash beneath her eye.

"Well, I decided to go hiking for the first time, tripped, lost my heels, including the keys to the car. We had to trudge through a storm. I got sick. There was no cell reception, until we found a bar off the highway, which yes, it was as shady as it sounds."

"You and Jared?"

She closed her mouth, "Mhm."

Why did it feel like she was in trouble whenever she mentioned his name? Hell, vice versa. Jai's name to Jared was just as offensive.

"But is there a 'you and Jared'?"

"I wonder if this place has one of those coloring mats." She searched around for one, thrown off by his blunt question. It wasn't totally unexpected, just too soon in her opinion. If she could prolong that question, until the point of never, then that would have been a good choice. In the world of her and Jared, there was nothing tangible to speak of – nothing real.

A fresh basket of bread arrived, along with their wine. She motioned for the waiter to keep pouring, until her glass was filled to the top, and took a large sip. The swish and puffing on her cheeks revealed her actual experience with the pungent liquid.

He tilted his head at her, eyes sparkling mischievously, "It looks like you've already provided me with the answer by avoiding it."

"I like him. He doesn't like me." She looked away from him, exposing her otherwise hushed feelings. This wasn't the time for sad conversations. "Something like that."

"I don't see how that's possible. You're stunning."

"Thank you."

"It's refreshing when a woman says 'thank you', instead of no…" He leaned in, as if ready to tell her a secret. "I've liked you, since the moment I saw you. You stood out. So much so, that I kept thinking about you and those thoughts invaded my dreams. You're natural to me, as normal as breathing. I don't want to escape it."

"Jai," She said, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. There were no words for his confession. There was nothing that she could promise him.

"It's alright with me if you like someone else, but if he won't have you, know that I will." He took her hand from the table and held it softly within his own, like it was something precious. "This dinner was not meant to persuade you. There are no hidden intentions, though I'd be lying if I said that I didn't already know of your feelings for Jared. A part of me just wanted to hear you say it."

"I…" Her eyes closed for a moment, willing herself to find something, anything to say in return.

"Enough of this dismal chatter, 'ey." And with that, he was able to change the tide of the evening. He'd gone back to being a friend, pulling out bouts of laughter and honesty from her, things she'd never thought she'd tell another living soul.

"When I was in eighth grade, there was a class camping trip at Crystal River. It was notorious for being haunted. So, Gee and I decided to play a prank on the other girls sharing our cabin. I try and forget it, but uhm…" She shook her at him, "It's impossible. We prerecorded our voices and had it playing back, screaming, and begging for help. One girl ended up peeing herself and I've really regretted the effort ever since."

"You made a girl piss herself. Well done."

"Where is my slow clap?" She deadpanned. "I still feel bad about it. I tried apologizing to her so many times and each time was a nightmare."

"Gee is your best friend, I take it?"

"She's the Clark to my Jai."

He laughed, "Clark is one of a kind."

"So is Gee. She's the opposing force that I need in my life. I need to take care of her and at the same time, I need her to take care of me. She's a wild child and I'm mellow for the most part. She's out experiencing life, meanwhile I'm here."

"Because this is considerably less risky."

"Considerably. Yes."

Their dinner plates were cleared and the actor paid for the bill without any fuss from her. Clark was outside, doing something on what appeared to be a handheld gaming device. He sensed their presence and tucked it away, opening the door for them.

They talked on the way back to the venue, agreeing and disagreeing, learning each other like a chapter in a book. She stepped out of the car after him, taking Jai's hand when he held it out to her. He swung their closed fingers back and forth playfully.

She was beginning to like that part of him.

Jai Courtney was intriguing, if nothing else.

* * *

It was a beautiful evening, ideal for late dinner plans, and other trysts. The moon was out. The air was cool, but not freezing. Jared was pissed, nothing out of the ordinary. Ever since this woman entered his life, he'd found himself in an everlasting state of anger. He felt general disgust towards his behavior, as it wasn't idyllic for him or others in his company.

The more irate he was, the kinder he tried to be, but it wasn't working. It was late and he was outside her trailer, his knee going anxiously, as he waited. It was taking awhile for her to return, leaving him with a handful of drawn conclusions.

What if she went back with Jai or they decided to make use of the car? In his experience, fucking a girl in a tight, enclosed space was appealing in various ways. He'd exploited the scenario plenty of times, although he couldn't imagine his assistant there, pressed into the backseat with her wrists tied to the grab handle.

" _Fuck_ …" He cursed under his breath, finding it difficult to wipe his mind after visualizing it so damn clearly. The other night, having her beneath him, and stopping himself – stopping the act of making her his, and making it real. The flame he felt in his veins would have been sated, as it had finally consumed him whole.

He had to hold himself back from texting her, demanding to know where she was, so that he could have some peace of mind. He should have stopped her from going when he had the chance. What right did he have though?

Her laughter, vibrant and loud, colored his ears, and echoed throughout the lot. She wasn't alone, but at least she was back. He stepped out into the open, watching the two shadows grow closer beneath the pale light.

"Now is the part where we say things about the evening, like, oh, it was amazing. I had so much fun," Jared heard her say, as they neared. "It was dazzling, Jai. Simply dazzling."

"You meant to say that it was better than you expected," Jai said, as he turned towards her. His hand firmly clasped in hers stopped her from walking on ahead, as he pulled her backwards to stand in front of him.

She stared up into his eyes, dreading this moment. He made her nervous of what he might do and that, perhaps, she might let him do it.

"Should I make it even better?" He asked, voice only but a whisper, as he leaned down. He had every intention of kissing her.

Jared's hands curled into fists, as he stepped out. The two separated at the sound of someone approaching, although Jai remained glued to her. "Are you two back already? I was just on my way out."

Jared's pride wouldn't allow him to tell the truth, to say that he'd waited the entire night for her. The look on the other actor's face wouldn't allow him to admit to such things. He had to remain indifferent, if at all possible. And was that nearly their first kiss or had other kisses happened before then?

Jared watched her shift uncomfortably, the tone of her voice wavering, as she managed, "I should go."

A part of him wanted to be the child he knew he was being and agree with her. Go home and lock your doors, because he has to slay the beast.

"Alright, my darling," Jai murmured, allowing her to slip free from his fingers. There was Jared Leto, forcing him to end things short, _again_.

After the assistant was gone, the two actors stood there, measuring, and quietly seething. It seemed like acting at its finest, as their expressions defied the hatred that they so clearly felt towards one another.

"Look, I like you," Jai started, "I respect you as a fellow actor."

"We're competitors though, aren't we? And that means that there is no room for respect and there's no real point in pretending to hold any respect for me, but I'll be kind enough to be direct." Jared stepped closer to the taller man, his hands in his pockets. "I can't stand you. I can't stand that you're sniffing around where you shouldn't be, pursuing a woman that I will never let you have, because she's mine."

"She won't wait forever, mate. That must be why she'll end up with me. I'm ready for her." Jai turned away with a smirk, laughing it off, or else he'd find himself heated, or worse. "Making claims on a woman, saying that she's yours behind her back, how cowardly."

Jared remained there, even after Jai was out gone, listening to the leaves shifting in the wind. He'd never realized it before, but there were parts of him that were dead, broken pieces that remained unfixed. It was a comfortable pain, he decided. There was no need to bother with the glass of time or memory.

The whole heart didn't need to function, was what he had always thought. He didn't have to love or care about anything, which was what he learned from his father. He watched a man become depraved of what the heart really needed, and perhaps Jared didn't need it, either.

 _Keep busy, always keep busy._

He rubbed at his face and walked the short distance to his assistant's trailer. Because he had words for her, not the sweet little nothings that he'd never bother saying anyway, but his anger had to be settled, and she was the prettiest outlet within his proximity. He found her outside, sitting on the step where he had waited for her earlier. Her head was in her hands and he watched as her shoulders trembled with tears.

 _Silence her, keep her busy, and always keep busy._

"You would have kissed him." It was both a statement and an acknowledgment. She would have shared her breath and warmth with another person. What else would she have given or had given him tonight?

Like a coward, he couldn't even ask her.

She lifted her head up at him and he wasn't quite prepared for what he saw there, as he swallowed at the knot trapped in his throat. Her nose was red and her lips were swollen. Soft bangs clung to the wet tears on the tops of her cheeks and she was beautiful to him, absolutely stunning.

"That's all that you can say to me?"

His jaw clenched visibly, as he nodded short. There was so much built up inside of him, he didn't know what to expect should he open his mouth again.

She stood up on the bottom step, becoming eyelevel with him. Her small body shook, as she battled her own bouts of emotion. The raw hurt in her eyes then could burn holes through his skin. The tension bled out between them, an invisible pull that slowly reeled them in, until neither one could take it anymore. Who initiated the kiss was inconsequential, since it was crucial and instinctual.

He buried his fingers in her hair, holding her firmly against his mouth. The taste of her was like honey, absolutely sinful. The door to the trailer was wrenched open, as they made their way inside, fingers skimming over buttons and zippers. Her blue gown fell to the floor in a whisper and she shivered at the feel of his cold hands roaming over the sides of her body.

The actor suppressed a groan, when she reached her hand beneath his jeans, and felt her squeeze him firmly within her palm. He stumbled into the counter behind him, falling beneath the pressure of her touch. He gripped the edge of its surface with one hand, as the other remained at the back of her neck, keeping her close to him. Their breaths formed as one, coming out ragged, as she started a rhythm.

It was slow – he could feel the rock of her hips incessantly moving against him. She leaned up on her toes to kiss at the side of his neck. The muscles in his lower abdomen tensed, as she lightly brushed her lips across his skin, before nipping at him sharply. He inhaled through his nose, as his hips moved forward to press his cock into her hand for better friction.

He needed her to go faster, harder – more.

He was quite large and thick, the thought of him filling her up caused her to clench tightly. Her body felt like warm liquid, melting at the center of her core. But she couldn't stop her assault, not with the sounds he was making, or the way he pressed into her with urgency. Teasing him was stimulating all on its own and he deserved every bit of it.

"I won't be kind to you," she said, grazing the words across his skin with her teeth.

"Nor should you be… _fuck_ …"

She traced from his neck to his collarbone and she would have loved to take great care in not leaving marks, but she didn't. The same, angry welts of her mouth stood out against his pale skin. He was a beautiful, quaking mess as a result, while the wet heat of her tongue and lips trailed down below his navel. She bent her knees to the floor and pulled him out from his pants.

His blue eyes flashed hotly at her, watching as she closed her mouth around him, taking him in deep. She trailed the point of her tongue along the slit of his cock, tasting his arousal.

"Fuh…" He closed his eyes and tilted his head back in bliss. Her hand that was steadied on his hipbone moved over his ass for a firm grip. The bite of her nails added to the pleasure he was already feeling, as he thrust forward between her reddened lips.

She twisted her wrist in an expert motion, swirling her tongue around the head of his cock, slurping at the excess saliva, making it wet, and sloppy. The sounds echoed in the room, mingled with his guttural moans, and her short gasps.

He brought his fingers to her scalp, holding her hair tightly by the roots. She allowed him to guide her as deeply as he desired, gaining a rhythm that suited him. He didn't stop, until he came hard in a stream of shuddering and curses. His chest heaved for a full intake of air, muscles twitching, as the clarity of events started to return. She kept him still in her hand, swallowing what he had to offer, and cleaning up the rest with the lapping of her tongue.

It happened so quickly, he actually felt embarrassed and overwhelmed by it. Before tonight, did he ever think his assistant was capable of spontaneously sucking him off? No.

She stepped into the circle of her dress, unable to look at him then, as she pulled her hands through the sleeves, and zipped herself up. She would feel a lot safer with her clothes back on, especially with the dark look he was fixing on her at the moment. She opened the door to the small bathroom to rinse out her mouth and clean off the dark makeup that had run from its place under her eyes.

When she returned to the room, he was fully clothed, not that much had been removed in the process. What she wanted was quick and satisfying in the moment, to win over Jared Leto, to make him jealous and vulnerable for the evening. The opportunity to be truthful was there and still present, yet she didn't say a word. She didn't bother to fix her mistakes. The deeper you fall, the harder it was to climb.

Jared was making her world tilt and break.

And she wanted more of it, carefully in doses, because Jared was the type who would fuck you and leave you there to rot out with cravings. But she didn't want to be a victim. She wanted to be something more, somehow. That was the apprehension she felt…

"I want to kiss you."

He peered over at her, "Then come here and kiss me."

"I can't," she said, as she leaned her back against the door behind her. It was a bad idea, like a wreck you wouldn't be able to stop once it was in motion. She shook her head when he took a step towards her, "Don't… please…"

"You're afraid of me, even after you just…" There was no real delicate way to put it, so he stopped speaking altogether.

"I'm sorry."

He licked his lips out of habit, deciding to advance anyway, because he was sick of the distance between them. He was tired of watching Jai move in, while he stayed still.

He slid his hands beneath her ears, stroking the sides of her face soothingly, before drawing her to his mouth. She parted her lips against the pressure of his tongue, moaning softly when it delved in deeply over her own. The slow drag of their kiss warmed her through, as it felt meticulous, and personal.

Her eyes remained closed, even after he pulled away. "What was that for…"

"I wanted to kiss you. Next time you feel the urge, you should act accordingly." He brought her against him, arms wound around her shoulders with her head against his chest. "Will you ask me to leave now? What if I promise to behave and keep my hands and lips at a reasonable distance?"

She laughed, "Define reasonable?"

He lowered his hands to her backside, teasing her. She stared up into his eyes, "You can sleep on the couch."

"I accept."

"Good," she murmured, as her eyes dropped to his lips.

She wanted to kiss him again, but she resisted, hopefully in a way that wasn't too obvious.

Throughout her entire life, she couldn't remember wanting someone so selfishly.

Maybe that was the most terrifying part about falling.

* * *

TBC


	10. Worlds Apart

**A/N:** Introducing Stella...Every bitch you've ever known. Thank you guys for the commenting, kudos, favorites, follows. It is so wonderful! Thank you.

* * *

Limes With Lipstick

* * *

Chapter Ten: _Worlds Apart  
_  
 _Time says it's the end of the day  
My inside says for your lips to forget what time says  
_

* * *

 _Memories were collapsing one after another, being erased, and rewritten. It was summer break when the girl had felt the boy's absence the most. Everything felt like goodbye and that she would soon forget everything. She told herself not to shut her eyes for too long, not to dare fall asleep on whim, because she would surely lose him that way._

 _Don't be so eager to live, otherwise he'll disappear._

 _What was his name? What did his face look like...?_

 _She stepped out onto the grass, feeling the cool, soft blades beneath her bare feet. This was where they would lie down and stare up at the sky. The clouds would move about quickly and appeared close enough to touch. It was like it would fall at any moment, until the boy reminded her that it was impossible._

 _He'd declare that nothing was ever that perfect._

 _'Don't leave me here,' she said, speaking into the silence of night. The house contained such darkness. Her father hadn't lived with them for almost a year and she'd watched her mother deteriorate from within the walls of their barren home._

 _The boy was perhaps the only symbol of warmth and hope that she'd held onto for so long._

* * *

It was difficult falling asleep knowing that Jared was in the other room. After giving up on sleep, she threw the covers over her legs, and walked out into the small living room. The actor seemed comfortable in his cramped spot with his head on his arm, and covers over his shoulders. She knew what she wanted to do, if only she had the courage to do it.

Her steps were quiet, bringing her to stand in front of him. Fingers reached out hesitantly, until they captured the fabric of his sheet. He only needed to feel her to know what she needed, as he scooted in for her, and made room. She lied down on the couch, tucking herself into him as closely as she could.

Beneath his arms, she felt safe, and hidden. Her hands closed against his chest, as she rested her head under his chin, and fell back to sleep. The lull of his heart beating in rhythm with hers was soothing, a comfort that she'd never be able to properly explain.

The next time she woke up, it was to the smell of bacon. She could hear it sizzling hot in the pan. It was possible that her stomach wouldn't allow her to rest, no matter how exhausted she felt. That was probably Jared's wicked intention all along. She opened her eyes and slowly pulled herself to her feet, following the humming coming from the small kitchenette.

She quietly took a spot at the table and watched as an oblivious Jared Leto took center stage, flipping pancakes, and singing softly to himself.

"Ah, the celebratory blowjob breakfast…" That was a thing, right? He jumped at the sound of her voice, before a confident grin replaced his surprise.

"You're smart in the morning. Goody for me. I guess a guy can't cook anything without giving a woman the wrong impression."

She set the mood with her tone, deflecting his amusement, "I want it to be forgotten. I really wasn't myself last night."

"Then perhaps you should refrain from bringing it up. Press the reset button in your mind. It's real simple and easy to use."

"Is that how you absolve yourself of your wrongdoings?"

"I haven't committed any wrongdoings... _lately_." He moved the pancakes onto a plate and placed it down in front of her. His were half eaten on the counter next to the bacon. That too joined their little setup. Blue eyes stared at her mischievously, "I'm a saint."

"You've done so many saintly things, of course, sir."

"What will you be doing while I'm touring? I noticed that you didn't book yourself a ticket."

"I'm using my ticket on someone else." She took a reluctant bite of her pancake and found herself quite pleased with his cooking. The nutmeg and cinnamon was a good touch. "In our documented agreement, you stated that I could spend tour time however I wished. It is you who determined that my accompanying you would be unnecessary."

"That's true." He felt an uncomfortable sensation in his chest then, a heaviness that refused to fuck off. "Tell me, who are you planning on flying out here?"

"Gee." That was if her friend would even accept the ticket after their last conversation.

"It's cramped in this trailer. Feel free to use my room while I'm away."

She nodded, actually considering it. "Thank you."

The conventional table-talk didn't suit them. And they both knew it. The tension was thick, nearly suffocating in the small space. The humidity from the rain shrouded the room like an unseen fog, the air becoming dank. The sun was gone from the morning sky, covered by the dark clouds that rolled in.

Pitter patters…the falling of the rain hit the windows and the roof of the trailer.

She dug into her breakfast, because it would be rude otherwise. Finishing it off had come too soon, as he collected their plates, and straightened up the mess he made. The cold silence was enough to drop the temperature in the room down to zero. It was her own fault, as she had been the one to make it so unbearable.

No matter how awkward it was, she couldn't stop watching him. His existence was imposing, such a ruthless distraction. He didn't appear to be bothered by anything at all. Jared was a busy person who had the upcoming tour and the film to worry about, yet she insisted on wasting his precious time. It seemed so selfish.

 _'I'm no one,'_ her mind screamed at the back of her subconscious. The many times he'd held onto her gaze, allowing her to feel like it wasn't true, flashed liked the flipping pages of a book.

He was going to leave and she'd been so eager not to go along with him. The man she'd slept next to twice now, how empty would she feel once he was gone? She struggled, knowing that she would be restless.

And once again she wanted to kiss him.

This time she couldn't ignore it. Not when she thought of him – gone. The chair scooted out with the pressure of her feet, as she stood up. He made her feel like a child chasing after a shadow, trying to hold onto nothingness.

Jared finished washing the last dish and turned, finding her there only inches away from him. He caught her by the wrist and pulled her to him, arms enclosed around her waist. She was brought up onto her toes.

"I need you to be honest now…" He teased his breath across her lips, threatening to close the distance. "What were you planning on doing to me?"

"A hug, maybe."

He sighed, "You're lying…"

"I am lying."

"What is it that you want from me, then?"

He was so close to her now, close enough for her to taste, if she'd just give in.

She flicked the top of his lip with her tongue, the action innocent in her mind, but the look she wore betrayed her. What did she want? He pulled his head back when she went in for a kiss, his eyes narrowed darkly at her.

"Games and more games," he murmured, finding the whole thing absurd. She was his anomaly. Hands fell to her hips, as he lifted her up. Her legs closed around him on instinct, when he carried her on over to her bed. It was where she should have stayed, instead of crawling under the sheets with him on the couch.

He pressed her body into the mattress, her arms pinned high above her head, when he spoke, "When I need honesty, I'm generally not asking for it."

She blew a strand of her hair out of her face, "My feelings are complicated. Can't you tell when a person is at war with themselves?"

"And I'm in the midst of it, which I don't appreciate. It's very confusing. One part of me is afraid of touching you, that I might scare you away, make you run as you so often do, and then the other, bigger part of myself wants to only be touching you." He scooted her thighs apart with his legs, allowing her to feel him. He was already hard. "It's a losing battle, the one that I'm fighting…"

He kissed her lips, slow, and lingering between words. "You remind me to stop when I've gone too far, whether it's physical or verbal."

She craned her neck towards him, gasping when he parted his lips against her skin, and rolled his tongue in strong circles. She moved her wrists just to feel his grip tighten around them, keeping her still, as he slowly consumed her. She anticipated the next stroke of his tongue, unable to suppress the small noise that escaped in response.

"You should tell me to stop right now…" He warned, as a hand slid along the flat surface of her stomach, and stopped at the hem of her shirt.

There was no objection. It was a funny thing, really, after all of her shoving in the opposite direction. What the hell did she want? He pulled back enough so he could look into her eyes, searching for those traces of doubt that were always there. She was inexperienced when it came down to it and he was all too aware of their age gap. She should fear him, yes.

He grabbed her by her face, his short nails digging into her cheek, "If I have you, then that's it. It's the beginning of a relationship. I'm not good at it…I haven't been in a relationship in a very long time. The decision wasn't for my sake, but it was for whoever had the misfortune of being with me. So, if you're going to keep pulling me in and pushing me away like the fucking tide, then tell me to stop."

She felt reminded of why he was so goddamn intimidating to begin with. From the start, he'd always shown her his coldness. It wasn't so that she'd pay him more attention. It wasn't a scheme to come off as wounded. He didn't invite her to fix him, because in his mind, he wasn't broken. It was her who was broken and always running. She worked for him – under him. He was a celebrity and one of the most beloved.

The things he said frightened her constantly. The fact that he demonstrated his affection towards her felt unreal at times.

She swallowed thickly against the tension, as she stared up into his heavy gaze, "S-Stop…"

Because she wasn't ready, because she might run one last time, because he deserved better – there were countless reasons.

He removed himself from her without saying another word. She felt his warmth retreating with every step he took, until she heard the trailer door slam shut, and he was gone. She'd fucked it up, just like she did with everything else in her life. Self-sabotage was one of her more defining traits, ask anyone.

But hey, at least the rain stopped.

* * *

Jared left for his flight the next day, leaving his assistant to her own devices, which was a dumb idea. She cursed him several times, going over the way they'd ended their last discussion. That brutal silence when he left had made it seem so final. Gee wasn't taking her calls either, so it wasn't as though she were in any position to vent about it.

Without being able to contact her friend, she wasn't able to book the flight date and time. She decided to use the ticket herself to go back home.

Messages: Jai Courtney  
 _I stopped by your trailer, but you weren't there._  
 _Do feel free to give me a ring once you're around._

She glared down at her phone, since it was not who she expected, or wanted it to be from. Jared wouldn't notice her absence, since he was away on tour. So, she shouldn't expect anything from that unaffected bastard.

The shared apartment between herself and Gee was small, yet comfortable. She had missed the smell of her neighbor's cooking. They used to try and guess what was being cooked, not that they would ever find out. It smelled like homemade sauce. She took out her key and unlocked the door, being greeted by Cheddar, the orange cat they started to feed, and eventually kept.

Gee walked out upon hearing the door being opened. She hadn't been expecting her friend to be standing there with her bags. Never mind their argument. It was long since forgotten, so small, and meaningless, "What happened?"

"I think I went too far," the assistant admitted, as she stepped further inside the apartment, and fell into the hug that awaited her.

"You…too far? You know that makes no sense, right?"

"I was so, so mean to you," she mumbled into her friend's frizzy blond hair, and felt Gee pat her on the back for comfort.

"We were both bitches." Gee grabbed her friend by the hand and pulled her into the kitchen. She put the tea on and joined the other woman at the table. "So, what is going 'too far' in your world?"

"Every time he gets closer to me, I push him away. It's like a natural reaction at this point. I have him whenever I want, but it doesn't apply to him. He proposed being with me, making it official, taking his pompous ass off the market."

"You mean being a proper gentleman and all of that nonsense?"

"Right…" She huffed, trying to digest what had happened still.

Gee almost didn't want to bring it up, but it was possible at this point. "Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, you're still not over that boy?"

"He would be a man now. Don't make it sound so creepy."

"I'm serious. Perfect relationships always fall apart for you. It's because you haven't stopped searching for him. You used to make him sound like a fairytale. He was the boy who picked apart the sky for you, forcing your fears to make sense, until they disappeared."

"It doesn't matter. I can't remember his face anymore." No matter how hard she tried, the boy remained a faceless mystery, without a name, and exiled to the dark corner of her memories.

"Don't ruin what you could have with Jared or the next guy. Don't do it." Gee slammed her hand on the table, stressing the importance. Her friend needed to snap the hell out of it. "If you want someone, you have to go for it, and if it works, then it does."

"I think I'll stay home this time."

"Like, you won't return to Canada?"

She nodded, "I've failed him in so many ways. It's gross..."

Gee scooted the morning paper closer to her friend, "Back to the drawing board it is…"

"S'not like being unemployed is fashionable. I don't want to wear it for too long."

"You're right. It's really not cute," Gee said, as she poured the boiling water into their cups. "It was a miracle you even landed an assistant position and for something that was way, way out of your field."

"I've been meaning to ask you this question. Are you the one who handed in my resume?"

Gee paused for a moment, "I knew you were struggling, but I wouldn't hand over that job if it were available to me."

"If it wasn't you, then who would have done it?"

"Narrow it down to the two people who would have known. Could it have been your mother?"

"My mom doesn't have any connections."

"None that you know of…"

* * *

The crowd swaying in front of Jared was pulsing with energy. It was an intoxicating hum that burned his ears. This was what he couldn't get enough of. It was why he'd bowed out of the acting scene for so long. Creating music, reaching out through song, instead of his onscreen portrayals was better received by the fans.

And he had a beautiful voice, so why not? He could be under the lights, with his friends, and his family. He could feel the sun, even while in the dark. That kind of feeling could not be made up or manufactured. That was what made it so precious.

A woman stood off to the side of the stage, watching amongst the stage crew. Red lips turned up into a smile, as she watched the singer at his best. Stella wasn't sure why she'd come such a long way. Usually Jared would call her when he was in her country. They would have dinner, some wine, and then they would fuck.

It was the same thing – a routine, a promise. The promise of a routine was a dangerous thing. One might start to rely on it, but as she looked around, she realized that she had nothing to fear. His busy life was the only thing in the way, nothing more. As far as she could tell, he was the same old unobtainable conquest.

He'd even been kind enough to allow her to stay and watch. She was kept away from the fan's eye, but close enough where he could see her. She licked her lips, as her gray eyes darted to the flash of his chest and exposed arms. He was still in such great shape. It was impossible not to want him then, heaving, and sweating – pressed up against her intimately.

There were clothes he had to replace for her in the past, priceless lingerie that belonged from collections that no longer existed. It would be a lie if she said she hadn't known any better. He made sure that she learned real quickly as to what was appropriate to wear and what wasn't safe. Jared was never drunk when he laid a finger on her, but there always seemed to be something else possessing him.

He was a lover who had given her both pain and pleasure. It was the hell before heaven and she craved more of it, because there was nowhere else, or no one else rather, who could fulfill such needs. She'd been to professionals, bound herself to a dark room, and determined that it was too droll. There was no warmth or intensity.

Perhaps she'd have to hold onto him this time.

Stella was never one for chasing after men, yet there she was anyway, ignoring the fact that he'd ruined her. The fact that she stood there, waiting for him, was proof enough.

She tucked a blond strand of hair behind her ear, deciding that she'd remain by his side.

' _The poor boy, doesn't even know what he's in for…'  
_

* * *

 **TBC _  
_**


	11. Change of Heart

**A/N:** Ah! Updating is becoming difficult, isn't it? I've been so busy. Thank you for waiting patiently. I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and New Years! 

* * *

Limes With Lipstick

* * *

 _'Don't disappear,_  
 _It's just what I imagined.'_

Chapter Eleven: _Change of Heart_

Sometimes the heart thrives to feel something, anything, whether it's pain or happiness. She'd always thought that when the universe was ready, that it would grant her a love that she could feel – like, really feel. It had come too soon though, when she had been too young to understand it. She wasn't ready for it. Love had come to a child and for that, she paid with her future.

Yes, because of that boy, she lived miserably.

Perhaps instead of yearning, she should have felt hatred.

"I can drop you off at the airport," Gee offered, as she helped her friend pack up her clothes. The assistant made zero development. "Because you sure as fuck aren't staying here."

She really didn't want to go back. "Just let me be jobless."

"And then watch you go homeless?"

"He hasn't called me. Not even once."

"Yeah, well. You two left it in a real shitty place and frankly, he has less of a reason to call you, than you do him."

"So…"

"You have a better chance of Satan ringing you."

It had been a full week since they'd last seen each other. She hadn't planned on returning, at least not without a struggle. Gee had just about whooped her ass all the way to the airport. She dragged her feet out of spite, since she was still leaving for Canada. She wanted to see Jared, sure. You always want to look at the sun in the morning. She allowed Gee to push her towards what was right, to continue on with her job, and to pay off her student loans.

"You'll thank me later," Gee said, as she pulled the girl into a reassuring hug.

"You just don't want me home anymore."

"It's easier to feel bad for myself when you're not around."

When she arrived in Canada, she walked all the way out to the car she had left in the lot, and threw her bags into the trunk. She had purposefully made her flight earlier, than Jared's, so that she could pick him up.

There was still time left for food and shopping. She was amused up until the moment she had to find his exit. People were emptying the plane and there was no security detail required, thankfully. That was a shit show all on its own that she didn't need to worry about. She hated dealing with it. Jared walked out of the terminal, all smiles, and stories with his pale skin and blue eyes hidden behind his sunglasses.

He was always alive after he performed. She could see it then, even if he did look beat.

There was a woman beside him, possibly someone he'd met on the plane. She couldn't be sure, but it seemed less and less likely that they would be parting ways. The assistant stood there ready to be acknowledged, when the actor brushed past her.

"Mr. Leto," she bit out, unsure of why her voice had changed so drastically.

It was the sound of her voice that made him pause. He truly hadn't noticed her, because he was buried too deeply in his thoughts. Jared stopped to look over his shoulder at her and watched as she shrunk beneath his heavy gaze and wilted right before him. How odd was it to him, that she was the one to act so wounded.

He laughed, sardonically, and grabbed Stella by her wrist. The tall blond peered up at him with a chilly smile and when they stood there together, the assistant recognized them as equals. And then there was no mistaking it, that he and this stranger were made from the same cloth. She'd always considered herself the fragile glass and Jared the granite that would end up shattering her.

"We'll retrieve your luggage and then I'll show you to the car," the assistant murmured, as she did her best to lead the way.

"That's your assistant? Her name is Charlotte? I see that she's without manners. She didn't even introduce herself…"

Her name was not Charlotte. She bit the side of her lip, trying so desperately to let the small things go. Because this woman was a plaything, she reasoned. Jared would get rid of her once he had his kicks. She was no different, than a flashy stage prop.

"By the way," the blond said, loudly enough to speak above the bustle of a highly crowded airport. "I'll be staying with Jared at the hotel. When you take his luggage, be sure to fetch mine as well. I'll also be needing accommodations for the filming location, too. I don't want to be questioned as to why I'm there."

The assistant then wondered if she had the words 'try me, bitch' written across her forehead.

She managed a somewhat nod of acknowledgment in response. This was what she had returned for? She received assistance with the luggage, watching as the two walked on ahead, flirting comfortably like it was second nature.

Once in the car, she kept her eyes trained on the road ahead. It wasn't exactly a _good_ thing that she had to make a conscience effort to drive safely. Several times she thought that she would have to stop the car to get sick. Her nerves were on edge and honestly, she knew that she wasn't cut out for dating. She had always known, so why did this scenario shake her up so much?

This was for the best – this happened _almost_ in the way she had imagined it. Someone else would step in, someone better suited.

The girl managed to keep her lunch down and pulled up into the parking lot of the hotel. She swung open the door on Jared's side of the car and set her eyes on him. He stepped out, his full height easily overshadowing her. He could sense her anger and confusion, which was pleasant to him, seems how the girl insisted on being without him.

He would love to see her try, even if he had to be cruel about it.

Things would be the same, whether this pushed her further away or not. He could not progress with her, until she realized it on her own.

Stella's heels clacked loudly against the pavement, as she walked towards the unmoving couple. She may be gorgeous as all hell, but she wasn't an idiot. She could read the situation. The assistant must be obsessed with him on some level, the poor girl. The least she could do was try to look less frumpy, but that might end up disrupting her unsightly nature.

The woman stifled her laughter into her hand, walking in step with Jared into the lobby. He left the assistant for what was the third time today. She refused to go with them, even though she had been left with the luggage. She set it up, so that the hotel staff would bring it up to him, and signed off on a paper.

 _'I release you, Jared. Unpack your own goddamn bags and have a wonderful fucking night,'_ she thought bitterly, as she stormed away. Being with him or not being with him, rather, had turned her into a dramatic person.

She had even thought of being reckless. There was an Australian giant who was still onset, still so open, and susceptible to her. She thought of what it would feel like to be in his arms then, buried beneath his weight. He was a good man. She thought of the burn of alcohol at the back of her throat and warming up her skin. Jai Courtney…Stella… she would be no better, than Jared.

She wouldn't use his utterly pathetic tactics.

The dark streets looked glittered from the rain. The ride back had felt cold and full of tension. The radio was off and when she pulled up to the venue, she wasn't prepared for how alive it would be. People swarmed her about Jared's dive tomorrow. He'd have to fall into water, possibly several times, until the take was right. That might be amusing to see. They wanted his schedule, his limits, or special requests.

They wanted things that she didn't care enough to provide, but she found her lips moving. It's true that she was even laughing and smiling. She was an animated lie.

"Jared is willing to cooperate with whatever you throw his way, stunts and all." Who the hell knew if that was the truth? The bastard could drown in lava for all she cared at the moment.

And when they were done with her, she was able to retreat to the trailer, where she opened up one of the various wine shaped gifts that she kept perpetually receiving in Jared's stead. She rinsed out a plastic cup and filled it to the top. This wasn't the hard liquor she wanted, but it would server her just as well.

Her phone went off just as she'd gotten settled on her uncomfortable bed. Without looking, she picked it up, "Hello?"

A breathy laugh caused her to gain chills, "Where did you go?"

It was Jared.

"I went back to the venue to take care of some things that needed…my attention…" She trailed off, since that was only slightly untrue. Damn, and here she wanted to lie.

"Your attention should be directed towards me. I was not finished with you. You leave when you're excused from now on."

She snorted into her cup, "Yeah, okay."

"What?"

"I mean, you're so right. I should have waited after lugging up all of your belongings. I should have waited in the room, hoping for a biscuit of some sort, while you tell your new girlfriend that my name is Samantha or Tabitha…or something."

"I'm thinking we're in need of a talk."

"Oh, gee-wiz. Another talk, dad?" She mocked with a slur, "You mean I'm in need of a talking to, no? Come and tell me how things are, then."

His sigh sounded so disappointed, "Are you drinking?"

"Did you have to step out of the room to make your call or are you in the room, with her? I've been a secret before, so I know how this works." One of her many failed relationships went this way. It was one that was based off of looks. That guy could have told her to jump off a cliff and she might've considered it, so long as he went first.

"I'd like to continue our discussion once you've sobered up some. Sleep well…"

 _Sleep well?_ Who the hell was he to act all calm in this scenario? He didn't even answer her question, which only made her feel silly and presumptuous in the end. But their situation wasn't a joke, because it hurts.

Her body felt overheated, burning from the humiliation, and shame. But they hadn't even done anything that would solidify their relationship. The kisses, even her impromptu blow job seemed like a childish game. She wanted more of him, despite all of her fears. It all seemed so small to her now.

She slid out of her jeans and the loose shirt she was wearing. The empty cup dropped onto the floor. She would rather he had hung up and had come to see her in the state that she was in.

Her fingers danced across her lips, as she remembered what it felt like to have his mouth in her possession. His deep kisses, rough, and warm all at once. He'd shove her onto the bed, no doubt. She had done something wrong again. Her hands moved up above her head and she arched her body to the fantasy. She imagined Jared holding her wrists to the mattress and settling his hips between her thighs, so that she could feel him.

He lowered his head to the bra she was wearing and covered his mouth over the fabric. She could feel the heat from his mouth. And he would make sure that she suffered, one shuddered breath at a time, as his tongue soaked the material through. He pulled it up over her chest, exposing her to the stark blackness of the small room.

With her eyes closed, she was able to see him clearly. He matched how impatient she felt, as his hands went to her panties, and he pressed two fingers up against her. Her skin was smooth through the fabric. She breathed in sharply, as her hips moved into his hand, needing more of him. In her fantasies, as for now, he was compliant.

Her panties stuck to her damp skin with every rough caress and she could hear the wet sounds that were caused by the friction. It wouldn't be enough. He took no time in thrusting into her. She'd felt him hard against her before and could tell that he was a big boy. She shoved two fingers deep inside, gaining a rhythm before adding a third, gasping loudly at the slight discomfort.

Truth be told, she was rusty when it came to working her wrist. She'd always had her bullet to keep her satisfied and that was when she remembered she owned one. Her life was busy enough with her studies. Working out usually upped her sex drive, but she found herself too lazy to do anything about it. One thought about Jared having his way with her and all of that turned into nothing.

He rubbed over her clit in hard circles, while he drove his hips forward, burying himself into her with the same furious pace of his fingers. She cried out 'no' into the room, as her body felt as though it were on fire. She didn't want it to stop. All the heat in the room consumed her whole, as she drew closer to her orgasm. She felt it climbing up her legs, threatening to spill over.

She gave into it, arching, and sighing with pleasure and desperation. The image of him above her, watching her let go, was what had done her in. Sure, imagining his hard, thick cock covered in her arousal wasn't bad, either. But under his gaze – that was something different. Even when he was silent, she felt that he was always judging her, which made being vulnerable in front of him so goddamn terrifying.

Her body trembled, as her fingers slowed in rhythm. Her walls were pulsing around them, making it difficult to retreat. How pathetic was she, being reduced to this? It was like high school all over again, fawning over a crush. Except high school was worse and that never happened.

She grabbed the pillow beside her and held it to her chest, wondering if she could survive tomorrow. How could she act indifferent…?

It felt impossible.

* * *

 **TBC**


	12. Inside Job

Limes With Lipstick

* * *

' _I didn't mean to rob you,_  
 _Inside-job you,_  
 _I'm here to take the fall._ '

Chapter Twelve: _Inside Job_

 _'The clouds used to make me dizzy.'_

Jared opened his eyes, hearing his assistant's words in his head, waking him up from his sleep. The voice was young though, too young to belong to her. He must've been dreaming about that child again. He looked over beside him to where Stella was still asleep, her blond curls brushed away from her face.

It would be easy for him to just give in. Dealing with her type didn't require much work. And she was obedient, at least. He reached his hand out to touch her skin, but stopped midway. The desire he felt could not be satisfied by just anyone. _No_ – he needed his assistant. He wanted to make her his in every way he could imagine.

Perhaps he'd fallen way down into his role, too deep to climb back to solid ground. He wanted to possess her completely, even if by coercion. There was definitely something wrong with him, something that was downright predatory.

One look at her and it would disappear, like it always had…

' _The tree might fall,'_ a scared voice said to him, the memory of the young girl from his past caused him to flinch, uncomfortably. _'Stay with me…'_

Every time that child was sick, he would be called out into the fray. He always managed to get sick the next day and resent her for it. He'd carry soup and ginger ale to her. He'd even switched out her VHS tapes when one would finish. He'd sat through Disney classics so many times, he could recite them. In fact, most times, he found himself singing along with her.

He covered his eyes with a hand, trying to will away the headache that was coming on. Why was he thinking of her now? That child was long gone. He would never be able to apologize for his cruelty. As a young adult, he was a wretched human being. He regretted leaving her in a sad situation. He was never kind to her, only allowing her to see how burdened he felt by her presence.

"Brat…" He murmured, as he sat up and grabbed his clothes from his opened suitcase. It was time to go to the set for his big shoot, not that he was nervous about it. He'd done crazier things.

He walked into the bathroom and placed his clothes on the counter. He smelled like jasmine and vanilla – unbearably Stella. He wasn't sure if scrubbing her scent off his skin would fully make it go away. He'd still been on his best behavior all things considered. He stepped under the hot spray of the shower and laid his hands flat against the cool tiles.

His muscles were sore from moving about the stage, as if he were still young enough to do so without consequence, even if his looks _were_ deceiving. He'd been told to take it easy by several doctors who weren't too fond of the changes his body had undergone for each role.

Jared hadn't picked up on Stella's presence, until he felt her cold, bare skin against his back.

"Still jetlagged, baby?" She asked, as she moved her down the length of his body, feeling over the hard, defined muscles there.

He closed his eyes, trying his best to be civil by not saying anything.

"That was your excuse last night, right," she said, as she skimmed her mouth between his shoulder blades. "You can't run from me anymore."

He was never running, just avoiding, because he didn't need her. Hell, he didn't even want her. He'd just dragged her here to use her. It wasn't his fault that she was the easy prey. Jared turned in her arms with a broad smile across his handsome face. Her heart pounded hard against her chest, as she stared up at him.

Just as she expected, he was still able to do that to her, when no else could. She'd thought herself inhuman, unable to feel anything from anyone else.

He slid his fingers under her chin, tilting her face towards him. Her blue eyes stared up into his, conveying her desire. She could eat him whole in one just one bite, savor it with the same greed she'd always felt with him.

She wanted him with every fiber of her being.

 _Just one taste…_

 _As if it would ever be enough…_

"Yes."

She breathed, so close now, "Yes?"

He captured both her wrists, stopping her hands from going any lower below his waist, "I _am_ still jetlagged."

Her face flushed, angrily, "Last time I checked, jetlag doesn't render your cock inoperable." She narrowed her eyes at him when he didn't respond. "If you're not going to fuck me, why the hell did you bring me here?"

"To see if things can work between us," He admitted, not entirely the truth, but not exactly a lie, either.

She seemed to calm down by his answer, wondering how genuine he was being at the moment. It was difficult to know with him. She decided to let it go and went about her shower, leaving sex out of the equation. It wasn't the first time they'd ever had slippery bathroom sex, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

All she had to do was show him that she was girlfriend material. Did she even want to go that far? She'd never thought about him beyond financial success and a huge cock. He was an asset, sure, capable of making anything possible. Just by being beside him, she could become famous. She'd always wanted to be a famous hotelier or a designer.

It wouldn't be a bad thing, possibly finding love, and exposing that same love to grant her wishes.

There was a car parked outside to pick him up, but his assistant was not there. It was typical at this point, not to expect her. She was a coward, until the very end. He drew his sunglasses on and stared out the tinted windows.

Stella had her shades on, as well. Her fingers were donned in her most expensive jewelry and she was made up to perfection no matter where she was going, should it be an upscale restaurant or a trip to the hospital. She kept her bag pressed between them and felt the brief stir of excitement in her stomach. She'd never been onset before.

She didn't feel helpless when he had to leave her behind, since he informed the stage crew to take good care of her. Stella followed closely, enjoying all of the questionable glances. Of course, there were more important things to be dealt with, other than wondering about the woman Jared Leto was currently screwing. But she did encourage the little birds watching to spread the rumors.

David Ayer stood with a clapperboard in his hands, thinking back on his career. He'd never jumped onboard such a massive franchise and he knew that there was no room to fuck it up.

"Ready for my crash course in _professional stunt equipment_ ," Jared breathed, dressed in a dark raspberry shirt and black slacks. His makeup was especially sloppy for the scene that required him to be soaked the entire time.

"Your assistant assured us that you wanted to do this stunt yourself," David said, unable to mask just how nervous he was about the notion. Jared wasn't exactly known for his death defying stunt work.

"You were informed correctly." Jared scanned the area, unable to find her, "So, where is that little…" Lying, devious, conniving – to list off the non-inappropriate, yet accurate adjectives that described his wonderful assistant. "…worker bee?"

"She's been helping down in the pit." David pointed downward to the large body water. It was a giant pool incased in green screen and lighting fixtures.

"How proactive of her."

"I thought it was nice?" The director said with a shrug, unaware of the dark cloud that had loomed over the actor then.

"Explain the jump to me again." Jared turned on his heel, flashing the director his winning smile. It made the older man feel uncomfortable, like perhaps he was being hit on, but he knew it was mostly his imagination. Jared was flirtatious by nature, but there was something amiss in the actor's eyes.

He seemed pissed off.

* * *

The assistant circled what the crewmembers were referring to as 'the pit'. She'd helped with anything they needed, carrying, or adjusting things that anyone with sense would be able to do. Underneath everything, she felt responsible should things go awry today. She somehow knew that Jared would not refuse the dive. He wouldn't allow himself to lose any credibility.

Or maybe he would do it to protect her. She really didn't care to dissect him at the moment, especially since he was probably contemplating her murder. That could be why he wanted her safe at the present.

The water was deep and the jump itself wasn't all too high. Most of the special effects would be added later, making the scene look that much more dramatic. Up above, she could see wires being fitted to an incredibly pale figure. Jared hadn't seemed to notice her, thankfully.

No, he would be busy all day.

Her inner villain cackled and twisted her handlebar groomed mustache ever so slightly. But in all seriousness, thank god he would be preoccupied.

She was helped up onto the main platform, dusting herself off.

"Jared would like to see you," a woman said, listening in on the headset she was wearing.

Everyone rushed around her, even the messenger had disappeared amongst the crowd. She remained completely still, hoping that time and the future events would go on without her. It would be night time when she resumed and she'd discover that she'd already met with Jared. And she would have been brave, not allowing her heart to show through.

The assistant walked up the steps with boundless amounts of trepidation. If she had to see Jared beside Stella again, she really had no idea what would happen. Her heart was in her throat at the thought of it. The fast, melodious thumping of each beat pounded away at her eardrum.

He stood there in full costume, the worn look on his face more visible due to the makeup. Red lips drew together in a thin line. She couldn't read his expression when his eyes finally landed on her, keeping her in place, since she was unable to move.

"Mr. Leto, you wanted to see me?" _That's right_ , she told herself, _act normal_.

"As my assistant…"

"You shouldn't even have to ask for me," She said, pretending to understand. Venturing away from him was not part of typical assistant protocol anyway. "I had to make sure of your safety."

He tilted his head at her, "I suppose you would worry about that, considering you're the one who placed me in this predicament."

She nodded, unwilling to give herself away, "You couldn't be more right."

"Were you trying to embarrass me or challenge me?" He didn't give her time to answer, when he grabbed her by the wrist and attempted to pull her closer towards the door.

She wrenched her arm away from him and released a shaky breath, "Please don't…"

 _'Do that… to me…'_ Her skin burned from where he'd touched, wanting more than just a tug out the door, but an embrace so tight that it would suffocate.

Jared stared down at his hand and laughed short, "Back to being the assistant?"

"I'm…" Why the hell would she apologize? Was she doing something wrong? Why did everything hurt, then, even the air against her skin?

"So, this is where you've been," Stella cooed, as she walked in. "Oh, honey, that lipstick..." The assistant watched, as the blonde's hands touched his face gingerly.

"Sir," the assistant said, as she bowed her head, and excused herself. It felt like she couldn't escape fast enough. It was once again, something she should never do as an assistant. Her feelings were making her irrational. She probably looked like a joke to him and her emotions must be obvious to everyone else.

"Ah!" She cried, as she fell onto the ground, and stayed there for a moment. No one seemed to be watching. Everyone was more concerned with the pit. At least, that's what she wanted to believe. On top of how crappy she already felt, the last thing she needed was spectators to view what was possibly the lowest point in her life.

She didn't want to be seen.

Hell, she didn't even want to exist.

She felt cold hands tending to her ankle. The difference in temperature caused her to jump slightly. The assistant turned to thank whoever had witnessed her embarrassing bout of clumsiness, coming face to face with Jared Leto.

"Have you already forgotten that you can't leave, until I've dismissed you?" He asked, while he slowly skimmed his nails over her bruised skin. "I can't leave you alone, not even for a second, can I?"

She silently watched him, unable to make out if this was real, or just her imagination.

Blue eyes surveyed her closely, taking in her lost expression. It was as though she was gazing faraway at him, like he was out in the ocean and she was standing on land.

"I need you with me for the jump." He said to her, honestly, as he leaned in with both his hands braced beside her. His fingers closed in over hers, keeping her still. Their position on the ground would look oddly erotic to anyone who cared to watch their little moment. "Why won't you say anything?"

No matter how careful he tried to be, it wouldn't be enough. Nothing would keep her safe from him, as ridiculous as the thought was for him to concede. The red color of his lips would leave a stain upon her skin and there was no holding back, as he watched her hold in her breath. She could taste the grease of his lipstick when he kissed her softly. It was short and lingering, daring her to come in for another.

The crisp feel of his shirt, the cold touch of the ground, and the hot caress of his tongue, kept her from dreaming. This was the truth they shared between them that she didn't dare speak aloud. She wound her arms around him and brought him as close as she could get him. It felt so desperate, as she grazed her teeth across his lips. She wanted it to hurt.

The actor moved his hand to the front of her throat and held her gently, "I've missed you."

He dragged his thumb across her mouth in an attempt to wipe away the smeared lipstick. There was no smiling, only an intense quiet that followed his statement. They continued staring at one another, as if holding admiration for the first time.

Jared brought her with him when he stood, "Don't stray too far from me today, since I'm about to leave this world and all."

She shook her head at him, "Yeah, right."

"You're right, I'm feeling way too confident about this..."

She crossed her arms, uncomfortable with outright admitting her insecurity, "No, I mean. You didn't miss me. You had Stella."

"Even if I 'had' Stella, a few times, what would that have mattered? You refuse to give me a chance."

"Now you have someone who will."

"I'm amazed by the things that come out of your mouth, especially when I've just had my tongue in there…" He paused to look over at her, reaching his hand out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Jared wanted more of her, more than anything else.

He walked inside the building, slipping into a different persona. Stella was there, engrossed in conversation with David Ayer. He didn't seem too enthused to be breathing the same air as her, but it was amusing to watch all the same.

The assistant busied herself with offering the crewmembers water, trying to take care of the people around them. Thanks to her, the actor remained calm. Once the wires were firmly checked and cameras were in position, he allowed himself to fall forward.

The dive looked smooth, yet forceful. It was beautiful to watch and the entire room held in their breath, until he made contact with the water. David Ayer demanded another take. Jared obliged, even offering to do it a third time. The actor watched the recording playback with criticism.

"I'll do it again," Jared insisted, as he balanced, and waited for the callout.

The room grew silent and it was not for the camera that was rolling. They were surprised. Jared's assistant stepped behind him, carefully.

"The first take was perfect and so were the rest. Come on," She said, as she grabbed his hand, one finger at a time. "We'll get you warmed up."

He pulled her closer suddenly, bringing her chest against his back. The front of her clothes was soaked through within seconds. He held her hand to his lower stomach and stared down at the water.

"I'm cold."

"That's what we've been saying. It's okay to stop for today. They have enough footage of your jump."

"Were you watching?" He asked, unwilling to let her go, when she tried pulling away.

"I was…"

"And you didn't close your eyes?"

She stared up at the back of his head, worried, "No."

"And?"

"You were very cool..."

He laughed, all too pleased with himself, "That's right."

"Towels, please," she called meekly, trying to find a distraction. Jared slowly released her, so that she could throw the thick material around his shoulders.

He watched her with an amused look upon his face, despite his obvious exhaustion, "You did well today."

She accepted his appraisal and stepped aside, allowing him to walk past her towards the director. Stella was at his side at once, but the assistant didn't dare look the woman in the eye. Instead, she collected Jared's belongings, knowing that he would need to rest. His body might feel sore at some point.

The kiss they shared flashed at the back of her mind, taunting her. She wondered if Jared would take Stella back to the hotel and kiss her the very same way.

The blond walked over to her, all smiles, and sweet perfume. "I'll be the one taking care of Jared..." Stella extended her hand out and waited for the assistant to hand over the actor's bag. "And we won't need you for the rest of the night."

"I've been given strict orders not to be dismissed without Jared's consent."

Stella leaned in closer, lowering her voice, "I saw you two, you know, kissing out on the grass like a couple of teenagers. It was real adorable, but now he's going to take me back to the room and fuck me 'til I'm seeing stars, because that's what adults do."

"Even so…"

"Excuse me?" She snapped, looking about ready to grab the assistant by the hair and throw her over the edge into the water.

"I don't take orders from you, sorry," The assistant said, as she inched herself closer towards the crowd of people. Maybe Stella wouldn't raise her voice, then. Maybe she wouldn't be able to make a scene.

And what was that, Stella had seen everything, yet she was still this aggressive?

It only made the blond that much scarier.

Clark arrived late to the party, wanting to see Jared do his own stunt. The news had travelled throughout the venue like wildfire. Jai had needed something at the last second though – many some things that led his assistant into being short on time.

"Well, fuck me," he sighed, taking out a pack of cigarettes. He bent his head down, thick brown curls falling into his face.

"Whoa! You there," The female assistant shouted, noticing her fellow comrade. She grabbed the taller man by the shoulders and steadied herself.

"Jared's cute assistant…How my master pines for you on a daily basis. It's actually a routine of his now. He stares out the window and audibly frowns at the sun." He kicked off the wall and thought twice about lighting up a cigarette in front of a lady. "How have you been?"

"You can't just casually ask that after what you just said."

"I'm a shameless fellow and…" He looked up to see an attractive blond woman glaring in their general direction. "So that's what being castrated through eye contact feels like. My, how exciting… Should I invite her on over to play?"

The assistant didn't have to turn her back to confirm, "Uhm, let me guess, is there a woman with gorgeous blond hair staring daggers at me, because she doesn't currently have one in her possession?"

"Yeah, I'd say she has that premeditated murder look going on. Unfortunately, I'm into that kind of mess. Is she single?"

"She's with Jared."

Clark adjusted his glasses, "She's…what…"

"With Jared, she and him, together."

"Thanks for summing that up for me." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, so that they were both facing away from Stella. "I could probably tell this juicy information to Jai, right?"

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Now why would I shield you from an awesome relationship?"

"For one, you're being biased, and two, you would look better with Jai, than I would."

He corrected her, "I'd look better with that blond, than Jared."

"I'm pretty sure Stella would eat you alive."

"Her name is Stella? Be still my beating heart."

"You're a masochist, aren't you?"

"Perhaps…" Clark brought them over towards Jared. He was engaged in conversation with David Ayer. "Do you mind if I take her for the rest of the evening?"

Jared exhaled, impatiently, "I do mind."

Jai Courtney's soon to be dead assistant laughed, "That's so odd, because I thought for a moment that you wouldn't care."

The actor placed his cup of hot coffee down and crossed his leg over the other, "Your name is Clark, right?"

"You know my name? That's an honor, sir."

Jared smiled, "You're Jai Courtney's assistant. Shouldn't you be tending to him?"

"I actually wanted to come and see you jump today, but I was too late."

Jared patted the seat next to him. "Come sit with us, we'll play the raw takes for you."

Clark looked over at the other assistant with a pleading look in his eyes. He couldn't hold up the asshole façade for much longer. He was broken.

"I'd love that," he admitted, as he sat down and looked at the screen. "Thank you."

She took up one of the empty seats and remained silent, not bothering to join in on the conversation bouncing between her friends and the woman she currently loathed. Stella was between David and Jared, her arms linked to the both of them. Even Clark was sold on her.

 _'Damn it all,_ ' she thought. _'Was there no justice or loyalty anymore?'  
_

* * *

 **TBC** _  
_


	13. Fever

**A/N:** Too many people tell me to name this girl! So, I gave her a name. The name is Elaine. Why do I like Elaine? Because Laney and Ela and Elle. I like 'em all and they all pertain to Elaine. Her name either had to have many nicknames attached or had to be insanely common. I chose something that Jared wouldn't easily identify. I'm also sorry for the worst smut ever written. 

* * *

Limes With Lipstick

* * *

 _'There's a menace in my bed,_  
 _Can you see his silhouette?'_

Chapter Thirteen: _Fever_

Jared was still freezing.

There was a seemingly endless amount of coffee being offered, but he didn't want the caffeine. Stella slid her hand into his and leaned her head against his shoulder. She was bored out of her skull. No one had seemed to be paying any attention to her, at least not enough. She was a gorgeous woman. Nearly all of it was natural and deserved appraisal.

"Leto, we're going to need you back in makeup in an hour. You look like shit."

He glared at the director from beneath his lashes, appearing cold and dead.

"T-Two hours?" David corrected himself, shifting uncomfortably beneath the younger man's glacial stare. "I mean, hell. We could all use a break."

Clark had left once he received a call from Jai, muttering something about unruly curls, and too much gel. The assistant shoved his phone into his pocket, "As if his stylist can't handle it. What does he expect me to do? Threaten each strand into place?"

Maybe Jared had a fever, since his body started to tremble every other moment or so. Despite being finger locked with Stella, his skin wouldn't react to her warmth. He took neither pleasure nor comfort in the oddly clingy antics of his _sometimes_ lover. It was obvious that the blond wanted more this time around and he'd fed into it for the wrong reasons.

Being this cold, both physically, and outwardly reminded him of winter. There was a time when he and his brother used to shovel snow for money. The tips of their fingers would burn and their toes would go numb after awhile. Once their bodies would calm from the adrenaline, the pain would come, muscles sore, and chests aching like a boulder had laid flat on them for hours.

Stella whined, "How much longer must we be here for? I want a long bath."

David had just about had it, absurdly beautiful or not. You don't interfere with his goddamn work, "Oh, he is ours for the night. So, you better get comfortable. How does a communal bathroom sound?"

Stella sat upright abruptly, voice dripping with disgust, "What? I'm supposed to share a bathroom?"

" _Elaine_."

The assistant thought she distinctly heard Jared using her name, which would be the very first time he's used it since having employed her.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, realizing that he had, "Sir?"

"See to it that Stella gets back to the hotel in one piece."

Elaine stood in front of him and folded her hands together neatly, "Of course…"

"You don't want me to stay?" Stella moved her arm around his stomach and leaned in, her lips practically touching the skin along the line of his jaw. "I'll try to be quiet."

The operative word being, 'try'.

"You're distracting me." More like giving him a fucking headache on top of the many other ailments he was currently suffering. "I can't both perform and keep an eye on you."

"It's too early for me to just wait around in a hotel room by myself. Let me take one of your drivers out into the city." Stella turned towards him with a tight smile, as she held out her hand expectantly. "I'll need money in case I want to buy something, mementos and such."

Jared nodded at his assistant, as though saying, 'go ahead'. Elaine wordlessly took out her wallet and handed over one of the actor's credit cards. He made his assistant hang onto everything important, slowly adding onto the mountain of responsibilities issued recently. He'd lost plenty of shit whilst being spontaneous.

The girl walked Stella out to where the black jeep sedans were parked and gave instructions to the driver. Both women didn't bother exchanging words to one another. The earlier cattiness had sufficed for the evening. What a shame that Jared wasn't going to take Stella back to the hotel room and 'fuck' her, like adults do – like the bitch had made a point of saying.

The phone in Elaine's pocket vibrated. Gee was calling her. She held a hand to her hip and stood there for a moment, before answering, "Hey."

"Well, hi, there. I'm glad to know you're alive after that plane you left on."

"I'm sorry. It's uh, it's been a little nuts here."

"Your mom keeps posting old photos up on her Facebook page. I didn't know you were into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Laney. We could have both crushed on the red turtle."

"Who the hell wasn't?"

"Crushing on the red turtle or watching the show?"

The assistant shook her head, "Gee, I have to go. Jared's health is being compromised by air."

"Give me a buzz when you have the time, then."

"Will do," Elaine said, practically wincing at the way it had come off. It felt a little icy as far as conversations normally went between the two friends.

The assistant returned, taking a seat next to Jared. Now that Stella was gone, she was able to breathe comfortably.

Elaine took his hand, "You're shaking."

"It's because you're next to me."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, please."

"I think I'm winking at you, but I'm not quite sure."

"Usually you're in character while you're dressed up as a murdering psychopath." She leaned back a bit, "But it seems like you're flirting with me instead."

He slipped his hand from her fingers and drew her closely by the side of her neck. Blue eyes narrowed darkly, as his smeared lips curled up into a smirk. "I don't flirt with the women I like, not usually, at least."

She gazed at his mouth for a long moment, wondering if stealing a kiss would be too dangerous. It was ridiculous, having such a strict moral compass.

"Should I be concerned, then? What do you do if not flirt?"

"My version of romantic expression surpasses cliché promises, _Elaine_."

She laughed, "Why are you using my name suddenly?"

"Because I want you to believe in everything that I say."

"You're asking me to trust you by conditioning, then?"

He nodded slowly, possessing her the more he leaned in closer. That kiss was hers if she wanted it. There was no way that he'd deny her such a thing. He'd made it abundantly clear during her tumble outside. She probably looked like a fool, being seduced by a man who was just with another woman.

David sauntered his way over towards them after taking another look at the footage. "This is pure gold, Leto. The first take would have done nicely, but I appreciate that third jump. Get out of here and get warmed up. Two hours. You hear me. Then I want your ass back in makeup."

The assistant brought him back to what was still considered his trailer. She'd convinced him to use the shower, since his makeup would be reapplied anyway. Her clothing was generally oversized, so anything would fit him nicely. She pulled out a pair of pajama bottoms and one of her hooded sweatshirts.

He glared at her, "Don't jip me. I want the pony shirt. I've seen you wearing it and I've been meaning to steal it from you."

"Premeditated and all." She shook her head at him and teased, "And yet you want _my_ trust?"

She handed him the shirt and leaned against the wall behind her. The space between them was narrow to begin with. The actor stopped in front of her, staring at her curiously, "Who taught _you_ how to take care of someone?"

She'd asked him that very same question at the bar during their time stranded. She whispered, unable to properly find her voice at his closeness, "I don't know. I want it to be some generic answer, like, instinct, or my mother. That would make this question easier to answer, but truthfully, my parents weren't around during my sickest days. They were too busy trying to stay separated. I can tell you one thing though." Her eyes burned into his, then, "Whether I made it up or not, I was never alone. There was someone there with me. I think I must've learned it from that person."

The muscles in his jaw tensed, unsure if he was jealous or envious. The two mingled well enough together.

She could see his arms were covered with chills. "You're still cold?"

He dismissed the question with his own, "Does your leg still hurt?"

"Oh, from that little trip I took?" She moved away from the wall, trying to separate them. He followed her footsteps, as she backed away. "It's better now. Take your shower."

"You seem nervous. Why is that?"

"A guy without eyebrows will do that to you."

"Joking, deflecting…same thing. Want to tell me why you're moving away from me?"

She shook her head at him, unable to find her voice. The actor tilted his head in amusement, stormy eyes darkening at the mirrored lust he could so clearly see on her face. She was always an inch away from being within his reach. Once he had her, he knew that it would be damn near impossible to let her go. He'd been forced to fight it before and she was certainly testing his limits now.

He gently pushed her onto the bed and lowered himself to his knees on the rug beneath it. He placed his hand at the back of her legs and scooted her closer towards the edge of the mattress.

"My leg is fine," She argued, feeling her stomach burn at its center. There was a small cut just below her knee that she hadn't noticed, until she felt his fingers run over it. "Not sanitary, sir."

He parted his lips against it for the emphasis, the wet heat of his tongue darting over the scratch. She gasped in surprise, trying to squirm away from his hold. The more she fought, the deeper his nails dug into her soft skin.

She sat up to watch, met with pale skin, and dark makeup. He was in his maroon shirt and holster. It was left half-buttoned, revealing the top of his toned chest and the beginning of his abdomen. As ridiculous as she'd always found Fabio or even the sometimes risky Detective Lance from the show Arrow, this was something else.

And fuck if his personality didn't have a hand in how attractive he was to her. That too, as disgusting as she tried to convince herself that it was, was in fact – not the worst.

The tingling sensation in her leg followed the deliberate trail of his mouth, when he latched onto a spot on her inner thigh. His teeth drew the skin out, before he sucked down against it. He wanted her reaction, more than anything else. He yanked at the bottom of her jean shorts, pulling the one side up roughly to reveal more skin, as he rolled his tongue in hard circles.

She held in a breath, feeling her entire body tremble. Her moral compass was out the damned window, getting faulty readings from the Bermuda triangle.

"P-Please…"

"You don't have to beg. I fully intend on giving you what you want…" He licked his lips, as he trailed the zipper of her shorts down. It was loud in the quiet room. He pulled the material from off her legs and tossed it someplace over his shoulder.

"I want you screaming," He breathed out, voice low and deep. She tensed visibly when he pressed his nose against her, filling his lungs audibly with each sharp inhale. After an entire day of running errands, knowing full well that she had been a sweaty, anxious mess at least twice left her utterly mortified by the lewd action.

She felt his tongue before she should protest, tracing over her in an acute line through the fabric of her panties. It wasn't long before it was soaked through from both his saliva and her arousal. He sucked at it greedily, darting the tip of his tongue into her. The barrier lessened the friction, only making her hot from the anticipation.

"A-Ah..." She gasped, lowering herself against the sheets, and closing her eyes tightly. It was embarrassing, but she didn't have the nerve to stop him. Her legs twitched, muscles jumped, and clenched pleasantly in response to his near expert advances.

"Louder," He commanded, as he pulled her panties to one side, and closed his mouth down on her tightly. The actor's ministrations were rhythmic and torturous, like he was practiced and knowing. It was intimidating.

He drew slow circles over her clit with his thumb, as he thrust his tongue into her. She squirmed, attempting to move against him – needing more. Several times familiar waves of pleasure had built up, threatening to crash down on her, but he didn't allow it. Her skin was burning, like all the heat in the room gravitated towards her, blanketing her skin in a thin sheen of sweat.

It was as though she were suffering, when she groaned out, "Where's the predator? Or was that just a performance…"

The actor practically sneered in response, as he calmly peeled her panties down her legs, and stood up. She watched him shamelessly, as he unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, exposing more of his pale skin to her. She had plenty of opportunities to admire Jared's body and on countless occasions, she absolutely did – completely.

She followed him, trailing her shirt up over her head. He removed the holster and shrugged out of the button up. His slacks were unzipped and moved to the heap on the floor. The straps of her bra lowered, as she undid the back, and dropped it next to her. His eyes drank her in, scrutinizing her every detail without a hint of remorse.

He narrowed his eyes at her seriously, "You shouldn't taunt me like this…"

"I don't know what you mean, _sir_."

The mattress lowered beneath his weight, as he pressed his knee down onto the bed, and crawled over her body, until he was hovering above her. He stared down at her parted lips, tempted to devour them, "Oh, no? You never taunted me, not even once?" He drew her thigh against his hip, not allowing an inch of space to exist between them. She could feel his hardened length against her, deliciously thick, and pulsing.

"I'm not going to scream for you," she warned, finding the threat that she possibly _could_ exhilarating.

"We'll see."

He tilted her chin up between his fingers, running his thumb over her bottom lip, before claiming it between his teeth. She moaned against him, arms wounding around his neck. The cold from his damp skin caused chills to wrack throughout her body. His tongue was hot in comparison, as it delved inside her mouth for a taste.

His lips brushed over hers, as he spoke, "Taunting me and then shoving me away, that's your idea of foreplay, isn't it? You only love if you're forced to…" He pressed himself at her opening and felt her grow still. Their eyes met, heady and lustful, his voice resonating, "You're turned on by the coercion of it. You've never willingly gave yourself to anyone before, have you?"

It was like the truth had finally been articulated. She hadn't even realized it, until the words left his mouth. She'd always assumed she had just been in one bad relationship after another. Maybe she had even been shallow, looking for the perfect guy. She never volunteered to give her love. If someone liked her, then they would have to do all the work, otherwise she was running away from it.

He pushed into her body slowly, forcing past its tight resistance. Her back arched, her small knuckles turning white in the sheets, as she held onto them. Every inch earned him another gasp or sigh of painful pleasure. She felt stretched beyond her limits and so incredibly full, when he drew his hips back, and thrust forward into her warmth.

Her head tilted back, straining against him. He brought his mouth to her exposed neck, circling his tongue over her skin. He had every intention of leaving a mark, sucking roughly in several areas. It took every bit of his restraint not to continue slamming into her, allowing her time to adjust to him.

He dragged his mouth from her neck to her lips, muffling the sounds of her discomfort when he began moving. Her hands ran across his shoulders and down his back, nails biting into his skin. She was receptive to every little thing, encouraging him to go deeper, harder. His thick length pushed and pulled at the tight, pink flesh. The wet sounds of each intrusion caused her skin to flush visibly, despite being intimately entwined already.

"You're perfect…" Not the dirty words he wanted to scar her with – no, he'd keep them at the back of his mind for now. The truth could only form whenever he murmured to her, things that were unlike him, compliments, words he couldn't properly justify or explain.

He thumbed over a breast, before cupping her roughly into his palm. Her body arched against him, meeting him for every thrust. The hum at the back of her throat reverberated into his mouth, as he kissed her between breaths. He caught her arms and pinned them beside her head, using them as leverage as he started pounding into her. Their kiss broke as she cried out, this time in pleasure.

He would break her, piece by piece. It was never a question if he wanted, but more like he needed to, if he hadn't already. Watching her come undone beneath him was erotic. He leaned far into her, bringing her legs with him, so he could drive in deeper. He dropped his mouth to her shoulder, cursing low as he shuddered. He could tell she was close then, as he sped up the pace.

She had nearly fulfilled his wish, on the brink of a scream when she felt herself let go without the aid of a quickening hand. Her body quaked, pulsating around him in tight, rippling waves. His name rolled off her tongue, hands wound tightly in his hair. She felt high and sated, more sensual, and free about it.

She still felt incredibly turned on.

The closer he was to release, the more frequent and louder he became, the pleasured noises hitting her at her core. He came soon after, following her over the edge. They laid content for awhile, neither of them willing to move or break the spell.

The actor was used to being impersonal and insensitive. He was never cruel to women, but he wasn't the type to linger either.

The air felt cool in the room, as it swept over their damp skin. He shivered once, before deciding that it was time to pull away from her. It wasn't an easy thing to do, as he found himself kissing wherever he could reach. Her eyes – nose – shoulder. He pulled the comforter over them and brought her closer.

"How much time do we have left?"

He closed his eyes, "Not enough."

"Shower?"

"Has me now thinking of round two."

She smiled, not having to argue with that…

"Give me your mouth."

She leaned up and kissed him slowly, tracing his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue. He sighed against her, turning so that she was pressed into the mattress. She was slick and wet, as he curved two fingers into her. She brought her thighs over his hips, gaining him access, and a view. He replaced his fingers with the tip of his cock, already hard again. He watched as he disappeared into her, inch by inch.

He wasn't sure he could stop and if so – how?

Two hours.

He refused to close his eyes anymore. 

* * *

**TBC**


	14. Affair in Daylight

Limes with Lipstick _  
_

* * *

 _'Please stop, you're scaring me.  
I can't help this awful energy.  
God damn right, you should be scared of me.'_

Chapter Fourteen: _An Affair in Daylight  
_  
 **Lipstick.**

Elaine had never bothered with applying it to her lips. It wasn't as though her mother had ever purchased such things for her while she was growing up. It was a scarce possibility that the assistant would find much use for it anyway. But being around Jared on set, where he was required to have it on, she found herself wearing most of it.

It got everywhere, she realized during their first night together. Her body was a chart, mapping out where his lips had traveled; thighs, stomach, and neck were covered in red, oily smudges. Gee had gone through a gothic stage in her life, having once told her that, 'the hottest part about kissing a man in lipstick was the mess it left afterwards'. Well, at least now she could contest to it and agree. Even her clothing had stains on them from where he could not keep his mouth to himself.

Somewhere between the mattress and his lips, she had lost her own game. Shedding yourself of your moral compass and throwing away every last inhibition you had left would do that to you. She'd never held a cigarette to her lips, never kissed without holding hands first, and she certainly never partook in helping a man cheat or betray another person, even if that individual _was_ Stella.

Elaine needed the safety fence up, whenever it pertained to dating. She needed to feel secure about it, which would explain most of her impatient boyfriends cheating on her.

She decided to call Gee and be honest. It was time anyway. Her friend picked up on the third ring, voice filled with sarcasm, "Laney, what a _pleasant_ surprise."

"I didn't call you immediately, because Jared came back with some other woman. My mind was blank during that time. I was childish and immature about the whole thing." She sat down on her bed and dragged her foot across the carpet. "And I knew you'd try and make me feel better, but I didn't want to."

Her friend sobered up, "Oh, fuck. That's…I'm sorry."

"And she's still here, but I feel like she's nothing to him. I don't know if that's just the denial talking or what, but she's never around and when she is, it's utterly ridiculous. It's like watching a bad novella."

"Diva, diva," Gee tsked, shaking her head. "I mean, that's a bad boy, even if he's not into her. That means he deliberately tried to hurt you."

"I spent the night with him, it was only one time, but still…" Elaine closed her eyes and let out a long breath. It was finally out in the open, but it didn't feel any better. "And we kiss everywhere we walk and disappear behind. I can't keep my hands off of him and I want him to never-not be touching me? I've avoided sleeping with him again though. Just barely."

"Jesus! You kids got it bad. So, even though he is supposedly seeing this woman, you're sneaking around canoodling with him? I didn't think you had it in you."

"It's want and take...I'm not even taking care of myself. I don't even think of the consequences this will have on me later. We haven't even discussed Stella –"

"Her name is Stella? She sounds bitchy already."

"She's responsible for every walking boner thus far. Even Clark fell down the rabbit hole and I'm pretty sure he's taken up permanent residence. To be honest, I thought he was gay and fabulous."

"Clark?"

She hadn't even told Gee about Clark. Jai Courtney's assistant had all the makings of becoming Gee's spirit animal. Elaine lied back on her bed and started talking, _actually_ talking like they used to with one another. It didn't take very long for her to remember why she loved Gee so damn much.

An hour later, she was pulling down the bottom of her dress. It wasn't anything special. There was no telling that she'd actually put in any effort into looking decent for tonight's dinner party. It wasn't as though she was a special guest or a date even. She was just an assistant, nothing more.

She stepped out of her trailer, laughing to herself over the whole ordeal. How should she feel about it having an affair in daylight? Shameful? There was very little she felt bad about, too blind to see all that she should be ashamed of. There were plenty of women, Gee for example, who had done a lot worse.

Because she might be in love with Jared, does that truly change anything?

This was simply about following one's heart and all of that nonsense.

Her phone beeped and she looked down to see a text from Jared:

 _I told you to wear the pan collared dress.  
What is this cuteness happening?  
You monster D: (Read at 6:06pm)_

"Stalker…" She said aloud to herself, as she searched for a goddamn lime on the loose. Elaine did a full turn, expecting to see him.

 **Beep.**

 _Mind doing that again, but slower?  
I am enjoying the view. (Read at 6:07pm)_

She tucked her phone away into her bag and attempted to find him. And when she did, it stopped her dead in her tracks. The sudden burst of happiness she'd felt a moment ago instantly disappeared. He was talking with one of the known staffers and beside him was Stella. Even though Jared was wearing his sunglasses, she could tell that his eyes were on her, following her every move.

He could watch her walk away then.

The dinner itself was on location, so it wasn't like she would have to prepare a car, or drive him anywhere herself.

"Ah, there you are!" Jai Courtney approached her casually. "My sweet girl, look at you…" He grabbed both her hands and stood away, eyes roaming over her dress. "Will I have to hide you away the whole night? It seems like a fulltime position to me. Are there any benefits aside from getting to see you all day?"

Seeing Jai Courtney in a white fitted suit was not for the faint of heart. He smelled wonderful, too, like vanilla and mint. Two big arms wrapped around her and she allowed it, a piece of her having genuinely missed him. Maybe she also missed their innocent relationship, the line she must never cross.

"Where's Clark?"

"Clarkie is reserving a spot for us, in case you wanted to sit with me tonight. As you can see, I am utterly dateless and it's not a very fashionable look for me."

 _'This fucking guy…'_ Elaine thought, unable to help the kind smile from gracing her lips. "It's not appropriate for an agent to be seated next to an actor."

He looked at her seriously, "It's a good thing you're not my agent."

"Still, I'm on the clock."

He turned towards her, clicking his tongue, "And if the clown prince needs you, you'll be in the same vicinity. If he doesn't need you, well, you've at least had a good time."

She nodded, not finding much room to argue with him, "You do have a point…"

The actor extended his arm and was pleased when she took it without any hint of hesitation. It felt like a genuine act, not a hesitant one, as he'd become so used to experiencing around her as of late. He wasn't blind. He knew the game she was playing with Jared, even if she couldn't see how dangerous it was. He couldn't even tell what the endgame would be, but he'd shield her tonight, from whatever demon she was tiptoeing around.

"You should listen to me speak more often," he chided softly, as he walked with her to the dining hall. It wasn't a fabulous location, but you could tell that they tried their best to make it appear upscale to some degree, however slight.

Clark was there with both hands on his phone, playing a game. Last time she was able to sneak a peek, it was Injustice. The boy loved his super heroes.

The assistant grinned broadly at them both, dimples in place, as he put his game away, "Lovely to see you conscious. I thought for a moment Jai would have to knock you out to get you here with him."

Elaine took her seat when Jai held it out for her, "Contrary to what you both think or feel is true, I love you both. So much so, in fact, that begging is not required."

She sat between Jai and Clark, leaned forward in laughter. Her stomach muscles were sore from how badly she suffered the case of the giggles. The two men had experienced so much together. There were plenty of stories that went along with each project Jai and his assistant had worked on. Her favorite story so far was the time Clark very nearly got laid on the set of Spartacus by a hulking extra.

Clark looked at them seriously, "He was gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but I was not ready for the wang."

Jai shrugged, "No one said you'd be receiving."

"That's true," Clark nodded, considering it for a moment. "You had to see Jai back then. He looked like a walking ray of sunshine. Thick, bright blond curly hair…I have a photo on my phone somewhere…." The actor scrambled to reach over to grab his assistant's phone. "W-Wait, Jai! The woman deserves to see it!"

The young assistant slunk in his seat suddenly, catching a glimpse of his somewhat guilty desire, allowing Jai to disarm him effectively. It seemed like he was under a spell of some sort, when Elaine followed his eyes towards the tall blond stealing looks from the center of the room. Stella was of course, an image of perfection, as she had witnessed earlier. Her body was elegant and poised in a long fitted gown with slits on each side, showing off her smooth legs.

How long had Jared been there for? She hadn't even noticed his presence, until now. He was leaned back in his chair, eyes clouded over darkly as they were now boring into hers. It made her shift uncomfortably, legs crossing tightly beneath the table. She afforded him a nervous smile, one of which was not so readily returned.

Jai leaned forward, catching her cheek with the tips of his fingers. He drew her face close to his, as he spoke lowly to her, "I don't think you're safe with a guy who gets jealous by the simplest of gestures."

"Are you trying to cause problems for me, Mr. Courtney?" She swallowed thickly upon the realization, that maybe the good guy wasn't always good. The one soaring with jealous was probably Jai, if anyone. He knew her heart and who it leaned towards and yet he was still touching her. He practically dared Jared to come over and make a scene.

He whispered, voice cracking deceptively, "Of course not."

"Good." Elaine grabbed her purse from the table and scooted her chair out. "Excuse me for a moment, gentleman. I'm going to go powder my nose or whatever ridiculous declaration women usually say to escape an awkward situation."

Both men stood up from their seats, until she was gone.

"Real smooth," Clark muttered with a shake of his head. "Jared was watching the whole damn thing."

"I hope he was watching, the bloody prick. He's parading around with one woman, while having his assistant on the side? Where does he get off…"

"All celebrities get off."

"Yeah, well, not me."

"You're rare, which is why I stick with you. I don't have to carry your overdosed ridden ass to the bathroom and force my fingers down your throat to save you a scandalous trip to the hospital. I don't have to watch you rolling in women, being irresponsible, and hurting others. You don't have me handling drug dealers or paying off the women you knock up to abort your 'mess' or forget your name."

Jai raised a brow, concerned over what could have possibly been Clark's last employer, "What the fuck, Clark."

"That's Hollywood and the day you become it is the day you'll lose me."

* * *

Elaine stood in front of the mirror, running her shaking hands beneath the faucet. She drew her palms together and splashed the cool water on her face, trying to calm herself down from the shock of the temperature. Her heart was racing, but it wasn't because of Jai Courtney. No, why would it because of him? He was only everything she needed in her life. He was stable, smart, and funny. He wasn't romantically linked to anyone and wasn't involved in any scandals.

Jai was _safe_.

Bright blue eyes burned at the back of her mind, causing her to shiver involuntarily at the hollow memory. _Jared_. He seemed furious with her. If he would handle whatever he had going on with Stella, then it could have been _her_ standing next to him tonight. What if he was unwilling to take care of Stella? What if he enjoyed having her on his arm? Maybe being with an assistant would be a shameful, lowly thing…

The door to the bathroom opened abruptly, but she didn't bother to look up – somehow knowing. The sound of the lock had her turning to meet the pale figure stepping under the dismal orange lights. The décor was oppressive with its mute colors and broken tiles. Jared approached her slowly, almost with caution. He looked both starved and anguished, despite how eerily calm he was being.

"When," he said, breaking the silence. "When will you come to me?" He had one hand tucked into the pocket of his white slacks, his golden _Bell & Ross_ collectable ticking where the quiet hum devoured the space between words. "Because I don't think I can handle Jai placing his hands on you again. There's no telling what kind of stir that sort of thing could cause. I'm not even willing to promise that I can keep myself in check _if_ there is a next time."

The actor felt out of his realm, sleep deprived, and stressed the fuck out. He was far too fucking deep into his role. He even had thoughts of bruising the girl before him, vile, tortured desires of restraining her and doing to her whatever he pleased. There was something oddly innocent about her, a light that was too painful to stare directly at anymore. He considered her dignity, before reaching out for her, but it never did stop him from pushing her against the nearest surface and tasting her lips again and again.

He closed the space between them at the thought, until he was standing in front of her. A hand under her chin forced her to meet his stare, blue eyes ablaze, "An audience doesn't frighten me. I'll declare it to everyone. Hell, I want to, just tell me that you're mine. I need to know that you're ready and that you won't run away from me."

She set her jaw stubbornly, holding back tears, "I'm not the one needing to clarify anything for you, Jared. You need to come to me, not the other way around."

His expression narrowed, as if confused for a moment, "Stella?"

"I can't handle it anymore."

"No one asked you to handle it." He leaned in towards her, feeling her hesitation. A malicious smile touched the corners of his lips. "I haven't even touched Stella."

"But she touches you constantly. She's even had you in the past and I assume you're both comfortable with sharing a bed together each night?" Her mouth parted in amusement when he didn't answer, as though she had discovered something tangible to hold against him. "Uh-huh. You don't touch her though?"

"I don't sleep, _Elaine_ ," He said, exasperated and on edge. "You should know my schedule better than anyone. You should know my habits. This role is a dangerous one for me. I can't afford to fuck it up. Stella does sleep in my bed at the hotel, after a long, long day of shopping, the _poor_ thing. I have treated her as a friend and nothing more, although she's unaware of my intentions. It's safe to say that she is hoping for more. It's easy for me to send her home."

"But don't you see how messed up that is, Jared? You flew her out here. You made her think she was something more to you. Why would you play a game like that? Your answers only raise more questions for me –" He pressed his lips to hers, cutting her off in the middle of her sentence. He didn't want to argue and he sure as hell didn't want to answer to anyone.

He moved his fingers to the bun at the top of her head, undoing it carefully so that her hair fell down around her shoulders. He drew the strands away from her face, kissing her deeper still, caressing her tongue in slow, deliberate strokes. Her body's natural response was to give in, as she had done on so many occasions since their coupling. It was an automatic response at this point, parting her lips for him, and accepting him as a force.

Calloused fingers skimmed along the line pearl clasps at the back of her dress, when she heard the fabric tear beneath his hands.

"J-Jared?" She shouted in a low whisper, trying to pull away. He tugged the front of her dress down past her arms to her waist. His body was firm, as it pinned her to the counter behind her. A lift of his hands and she found herself seated atop its surface. The height difference was now evened, something she would have found pleasing if not for her ruined dress.

She glared at him steadily, not pleased, "Is this the part where you tell me that you'll buy me a new one?"

He shook his head in decline, refusing to buy her another article of clothing. In fact, clothes were only a nuisance, and he wouldn't partake in adding more to that collection.

Everything felt too quick and sudden, her body adjusting to the shock of being exposed beneath him, and aroused all at once. She didn't want it to stop, no matter how the setting might disagree with her. She wanted to be closer to him. She slid her hands beneath his jacket, pulling it free and placing it beside her. He broke free from her to undo the cuffs of his sleeves and pushed them up over his inked forearms.

He held the back of her neck, easing her into another long, bruising kiss. It was almost painful how hard and suffocating it was, as he stole the oxygen from her lungs with every sharp intake of air. She had to remember to breathe through her nose. A hand on her thigh kept squeezing possessively, as it inched its way up beneath the skirt of her dress. He pressed a thumb hard against her, applying firm pressure there, before moving in fast circles.

She moaned into him, her hips squirming against his ministrations. He cupped her roughly into his hand, moving his fingers about the damp material, going beneath her panties. His torture was meticulous at best, as she was already soaked through. The clear stickiness of her arousal better guided his long digits to move up and down her clit and inside her glistening heat.

Her legs trembled, already feeling a wave of pleasure rippling throughout her body. She slumped against the mirror behind her, watching as he bent down to run his tongue around a peaked breast, flicking and pulling. He released her flesh with a lewd 'pop' of his mouth and withdrew himself from her to admire the mess he'd created. He felt pieces of himself crumble at the sight of her.

He took a few steps away from her and pointed to the spot in front of him, dark eyes scrutinizing every move she made. She was slow to give him what he wanted, still shaking, as the pleasure in the pit of her stomach tightened into an ache. The heels of her shoes clacked loudly, as she stood in front of him.

"Remove these…" Jared demanded, as he tugged at the side of her panties. She stared at him hotly, as she slid them down past her legs. She could feel how wet she was when the cool air hit her slick skin. It clung to the fabric in clear, sticky webs. It would have been damned embarrassing, if not for how far they'd already taken things.

He extended his hand out expectantly.

Oh, _hell_.

She handed the nearly destroyed article on over to him, reluctant at first. He brought the material to his nose and watched her squirm beneath his accusatory stare.

 _Now_ she felt embarrassed.

He turned her around by his grip on her bunched dress. The sharp pull had her to bracing herself against the counter with both hands. Their eyes met in the mirror, dark and hazy, as the tension grew thick and intense. She felt terrified by what she saw in the reflection. Maybe they'd both become addicted – what, to be doing such an act as crude as this, here and now?

The sound of his belt and zipper being undone had her biting her lip anxiously. This was really happening.

He ran the tip of his cock up and down over her slick skin, watching her body tense up with anticipation. The small moan that escaped from her lips echoed off the walls around them. If they listened even closely, the cast and staff could be heard chatting, but he only remained focused on her. It wasn't long before he decided that he couldn't wait anymore, as he grabbed her by her hips, and slammed forward.

"You're so tight," He groaned out between harsh breaths, short nails pressing into her flesh, as he drove in as far as he could go. He spread her wider in his hands, pinning her into the counter. The incessant wet slap of their bodies meeting, skin to skin, the moisture, and collected heat – it made her crave it more.

The prude, the girl who was above this type of thing, wanted more of it.

She reached behind to grab onto his hip and felt him drive into her with every thrust. He soon claimed both her wrists, holding them firmly against her back. He was rougher than the first time. It was only an added quality to being fucked by the actor. Her arms felt sore, but she enjoyed being under his control.

Maybe she even enjoyed being helpless.

The knob to the bathroom door turned a few times and Jared slowed his hips, pulling out to the tip of his cock, before slamming back in again. The hard impact sent her into the surface of the counter, her sensitive breasts meeting the cold top. She bit her lip to remain quiet, something that was not such an easy task given in her position.

"You're mine…" He practically growled out, as he released her wrists to lean his chest against her back. Both his hands were splayed over her chest, kneading them roughly with long, pale fingers. She careened in pleasure, unable to concentrate on anything other than the heat in her stomach. "Say it."

She shivered, as he placed his mouth against her back. He grazed his teeth across her soft skin when she didn't reply, a warning if she continued to play games with him. He brought her up by her throat, still buried deep within her. Her face was angled towards him, so he could devour her mouth thoroughly. It was a sensual kiss that was chaste at first, but grew spiteful, and bruising.

He pulled at the side of her bottom lip, moving over her cheek, nipping carefully. Her eyes closed, muscles tightening around his thick, hard length. It felt so good, even if he was trying to punish her.

He applied slight pressure to the hand that was around the front of her neck, "Tell. Me. You're. Mine."

She remained defiant, "Well, I'm not _his_."

It was as close to a 'yes' as he was going to get and his body argued with how long he could bear not moving, while he was inside of her. Perhaps if he'd started this without being so intimate – his fault, of course. He shoved her down to the counter, watching her hands cling to whatever she could find, as he started thrusting into her, gaining further depth when he nudged her legs wider with his own.

The door rattled, as someone outside pounded on it. "Come on, man!"

As much as Jared wanted to be a selfish prick, not quite satisfied by her answer, he couldn't deny how delight it felt to feel her coming around him. He moved his hand between her legs, rubbing over her at an expert pace that matched the quickened thrust of his hips. Her eyes looked up into the mirror, taking in the flush of his skin, and dark lips parted in bliss. His glare was dark and lustful, a look that would be cataloged into one of the sexier compartments of her brain.

She clasped a hand around her mouth, shuddering as she reached her peak, and climaxed in tight spasms around him. The actor followed quickly after, unable to hold back when her body shook and pulsed. His release was hot, as he came inside her. The next few thrusts were sticky and wet. He pulled out and replaced his cock with his fingers, watching as his thick, milky arousal poured from her glistening cunt every time he drew them back.

They ignored the noise outside the door to clean one another. He even gently pulled her dress back up over her shoulders and placed his jacket over her so that the ruined back wouldn't be revealed to public eye. She fixed her makeup and hair as best as she could. She was avoiding looking at him.

Now that their fun was over, an awkward silence fell between them. He didn't want to answer her questions and in response, he would get nothing from her either.

Stalemate.

The door unlocked by itself, a _concierge_ (term is used loosely) having the key. He saw the actor and bowed respectively as he excused himself. Anytime earlier and that would have been bad. The thought sobered the assistant up and she felt overwhelmed with disgust.

"I have to go." She shook her head at him. "I can't believe we just did that, we could have…" Assistant 101 had rushed forth, as though it were being processed all at once. She was supposed to keep him safe and away from scandals. She had failed on every possible level to do her job. "I don't know what we're doing anymore."

He grabbed her shoulders, "Listen to me."

She shrugged him off of her and took a step away from him. "I'm not done listening and waiting. This is a bad idea. The things we're willing to do are dangerous. For me, but most of all for you."

His jaw clenched tightly, muscles dancing visible, "I said I'd tell everyone, if it means being with you."

"Please go back out there to Stella."

"No." He took her by the hand and tugged her to his side. She tried planting her feet to stop him from going any further, when they were out in the hall. Her other hand was up on the jacket he'd given to her, trying to hold it closer to her body.

Clark was sitting there with an eyebrow raised, before holding up his glass, and mouthing the word, 'congratulations' to her. The man sitting beside him stewed, proving that even Jai Courtney had a bad side.

Jared stopped in front of Stella, the woman having crossed in their path towards the exit. She was red in the face and yet still managed to look absolutely stunning.

"What are you doing?" Her blue eyes dropped to where Jared held onto Elaine's hand firmly. It was obvious what was happening, her dreams crumbling one by one. Stella was not oblivious, by any means. She wouldn't expect Jared to remain loyal to only her, but she still wouldn't have expected him to have an affair in daylight.

"I'm sorry for giving you the wrong impression of me, Stella. I would like to thank you for coming out here for –" Jared was cut off midsentence, when the woman swung her hand forward, and landed a loud slap across his face. The room hushed into low whispering, buzzing with the delicious speculation. The actor continued, cheek turning hot where her hand had made impact. "I don't have feelings for you." He raised Elaine's arm up forcefully, "This woman is with me."


	15. Your Secrets

Limes with Lipstick

* * *

 _Like I'm on trial,_  
 _I'm in denial,_  
 _That was our past._

Chapter Fifteen: _Your Secrets_

Escaping wasn't meant for certain people. Elaine was one of those few people who tried to forget and nearly succeeded, but had failed in the end. The past itself was known to be a tricky thing, especially whenever it decided to recall itself into the present. Déjà vu, serendipity, coincidence, or fate – sometimes even when you've thought that you'd shrouded yourself in darkness, the light of the truth still remained.

Elaine fell in love at an impossible age to an unbearable person. This person was as good as a blur at the back of her mind. She couldn't make out his face, couldn't even properly hear his voice anymore. She'd probably made it all up. Her heart had crumbled once she'd realized that she'd lost her one and only friend, real or not.

She turned away from the body strewn beside her, a firm arm keeping her close to the wall of his chest. She was naked beneath the sheets, contented and heavy with sleep. The phone on the end table kept going off, giving an annoying beep. It was a sound she was used to hearing, but for the actor, it was beginning to become goddamned annoying.

He reached behind to grab it, refusing to let go of her warmth. He'd rather surrender to the incessant buzzing noise, than to release her. Elaine would need to be consoled once she awoken, he'd bet. She expressed having not liked him raising her arm and exposing his feelings for her like a champ. They'd just won the unholy title of typical relationships. Then he took her back to his hotel room and roughly, albeit hotly changed her mind about things.

It was embarrassing for her and a resolute black hole for him. He was ready to be out in the open with her, even if the backlash might potentially be harmful for her. He should be worrying more about the extreme focus of the cameras or the articles. He would be hurting his fans, no doubt. It would draw emotions away from his and Margot's on-screen chemistry. His confession would either be a bad thing or…hell, still a bad thing.

He cracked an eye open at the phone in his hand, half expecting it to be his own. A thumb slid across the unlock screen and a text window popped up from where it had left off from last night. The person's name was 'Gee'. He may have heard it once or twice. There was very little he knew about Elaine, not that it had mattered since the road they traveled down was intense from the start.

Jared paused at the thought. He'd just thrown down for her and he hardly even knew her. How ridiculous…

 **Gee**  
Subject: _?!_

 _\- Did you see that photo your mom_  
 _posted last night?_  
 _\- It looks a lot like Jared in the picture._  
 _\- Cheese and crackers…pick up your phone, lady! I_  
 _think you should see this. I'm sending_  
 _it to you right now._  
[ **Picture message** ]  
 _Sent at 12:12AM_

He stared hard at the picture, recognizing it almost immediately, dressed in the plaid shirt and washed jeans of his youth. It was taken in the backyard of his old home, the place where his life hadn't fallen to complete disarray yet. His brother was there, along with his mother, and the woman who lived next door. It was the mother who would work all day and night, leaving him to babysit her… _brat_.

* * *

There was blood everywhere, staining the tiles where she laid on the floor. She was crying hard, mostly in shock. Children would do that, even if the wound wasn't all that bad, but Jared knew better. It was bad. No, it was fucking awful. It was his fault, the whole mess, her cut, and the fact that she would never trust him again. She had issues trusting others since the beginning for such a young child, which had been devastating on its own, but now he'd practically secured a lifelong trauma for the girl.

He grabbed the cloth from the oven handle and held it behind her ear where the cut was still flowing thick droplets of blood. The towel was seeped through within moments, but he kept his hand steadied. He had to be calm, he reminded himself. For her and for his own sake.

She was a small, fragile little girl – a broken little girl. He had grabbed her arms so tightly then that he thought for sure her bones would snap in half. Yes, he was leaving. Yes, he would never see her again. Yes, he was happy about that fact. When he'd shoved her away, he hadn't expected her to fall. Not at that angle and not that hard.

He'd already tried reaching out for her, before her head met the side of wooden frame, but it was too late. The jagged, splintered surface caught her right behind her ear. She'd landed in the kitchen where she had remained since, whimpering, her small body wracking violently with sobs.

"I'm so sorry, Laney." He brought her small body onto his lap, cradling her head gently to one side, as the other continued to try and stop the bleeding. His pants were warm and sticky with it, causing him to groan inwardly at the realization. "I think we'll need to go to the hospital."

The cut would need stitches, but he'd neglect to tell her that part and let the doctors do it for him. He really didn't need her refusing to go. He didn't want to be forceful after what had just transpired. She was too hysterical to say anything in response to him. He lifted her carefully and brought her out to his jeep. The girl was pale with fear, making her nose and lips look all the more red in comparison. He fastened her seatbelt and instructed her to hold her hand against the towel.

"It'll be okay."

The promise he failed to keep. The stitching process had been a nightmare, even when he held her against him firmly. She shoved at his chest, feeble and useless, screaming, and trying to wrench him away from her.

"Hold her still."

He turned his head away, the nails pressing into her arms dug in hard enough to leave marks. The boy could hardly endure the fact that he'd done this to her.

It was a farewell present.

* * *

Jared moved his hands up along her spine, careful in doing so, as to not wake her, but needing her to turn more towards him. He brought her hair away from the back of her neck and inspected the newly revealed expanse of skin. He could already see it. It was paler than the rest of her skin, standing out in a harsh contrast. The scar he'd marked her with…He ran his fingers over it gently, tracing along its curve with a sinking feeling.

Elaine…Laney…It felt like the air had suddenly left his lungs. His body grew still. It felt like he was underwater, too slow to move, or to process anything. He drew his arms around her waist and held her more firmly. She nuzzled against his chest, pressing her face into the junction between neck and shoulder. The light sounds of her breathing dragged him in further and further beneath the waves.

His heart was a thundering pulse, hard, and uneven. The actor was surprised it hadn't disturbed her from her slumber. He slowly detangled himself from her arms and closed his hand around her phone. Irrational thoughts plagued him. Delete the text messages. Get rid of her phone. He slid into a pair of washed jeans.

Laney, always sick with eyes swollen with tears. The child he'd shrugged off his shoulders as though she were nothing. The woman he was currently sleeping with. He rubbed a hand over his face in a lousy attempt to clear his mind. He paced the room, bare feet stepping onto the cold marbled floors. He needed time to speak with her, before she found out on her own.

He turned off her phone and placed it in the pocket of his jeans. His feelings for her were swirled, the intensity of them certainly not lessening. There was a dull pain inside his chest, the kind that overwhelmed him whenever he felt devastated. There were only a few times. Jared was shaking with chills by the time he crawled back into bed, welcomed by the layers of bedding and the warmth radiating from her body. She was pulling him in closer.

 _This brat…_

She nuzzled up against him, lips gently brushing over the sensitive skin along his neck. He stared ahead at the wall, struggling to remain calm and not give in so easily. He could clearly remember how wonderful she felt, how perfect, and soft. He'd love nothing more than to roll her over and show her just how delightful morning sex could be with him, but the young Elaine flashed at the front of his mind again and again. It bitterly reminded him that she had bled and cried for him.

Small hands roamed up his back. She wasn't upset, surprisingly. No, she was something else entirely, something he knew all too well. Little by little, he felt himself break into even smaller pieces for her. He wanted to sink beneath her touch and have the world swallow him whole, because he didn't deserve anything at the moment.  
He wound his toned arms around her, because he was truly apologetic. He pulled her as close as humanly possible to the point where he was trembling from the intensity. The bite of her nails made him gasp, but they remained like that for as long as time would allow it to happen.

"I can't breathe, but I don't want to move," She said, laughing at the childish statement.

He loosened his grip on her, however slight, "I'm sorry."

"For squeezing me or revealing to all that I am 'your woman'?" Elaine brought her face to the front of his chest, deciding that was a safe place to hide for the moment. She tried mocking his voice, going deeper, "'This woman is with me.' Were we filming a drama or what?"

This was a happy revelation for her and it was a long time coming. She had to call Gee later on. She must gloat, especially since they had repaired their friendship. A part of her felt the need to go tell Clark, too. She wanted everyone to come and frolic with her. After so long of bitterness and hopelessness, from running away from every relationship that presented itself, she was steadily easing herself into it once again.

And she was ready.

She was silly for thinking that it would never be possible again.

Elaine adjusted herself so that she could stare up at him, worried about his unusual 'bout of silence. It was rare that he wasn't quick to banter with her. His eyes were as hard as stone, all traces of softness gone, and she felt her stomach tighten nervously.

"Jared?"

There was a long pause where she held her breath. Then he was suddenly reaching up and placing a hand behind her ear. He traced over her scar in slow circles, staring at her pointedly. "Where did you get this?"

"Oh, you saw it?" She rested her hand on top of his, beaming back a shy smile. The past was always a blur. "I honestly don't remember…I think I fell? It's my battle scar. I keep trying to come up with outrageous stories for it, but uh…"

"You think you fell?" He narrowed his blue eyes at her, trying to determine whether she was lying to him or if she truly didn't remember. He pressed her, impatiently, "What was your childhood like, Elaine?"

She frowned slightly, "Why are you asking me this suddenly?"

"I don't know anything about you. Not really." But now he wanted to know more, no – he needed to know, he starved for it. He wanted to see how much she remembered. He wanted to know that he didn't ruin her whole damn life. There were things he wished he could take away, regrets that still haunted him. And even though he knew enough about her past, he knew nothing of her adulthood. As far as he was concerned, he hurt her back then, and hurt her even now.

He was royally and irrevocably fucked up. Only God would serve him this dish.

"My father left my mom when I was young, but she got remarried to a guy named Chris. Great guy…" These weren't the answers he wanted from her.

"It must have been lonely." She'd been babysat by an egotistical asshole that treated her like shit like it was his favorite pastime. He needed her to say it.

"Not always alone, I don't think. I have a hard remembering it, but there was someone else around, someone who took care of me." She squinted, finding it difficult now more than ever. The closest she ever got to him was in her dreams and what she remembered changed every time. "He moved away though and I didn't take it very well. He was my only friend and I can't even remember it…"

"Elaine," he said, swallowing thickly at the lump in his throat. It pained him to even breathe and his mind was numb. It was all wrong, the way she had put it. He was a fucking bastard. No good like everyone said. He smoothed his hand down the side of her neck, before pulling her to him forcibly.

He kissed her softly at first, just to feel the softness of her lips. He kissed her, because it was the only thing he knew that would calm them both down. His body was constantly on autopilot, always a physical reaction first, before his thoughts kicked in. It was wrong maybe, but she felt good. He parted her mouth with his tongue and pushed his knee between her thighs. She was already wet, rocking her hips along his leg in the same rhythm he'd started.

 _'You can't leave! Please!'_ He drew back as though he were burned, a heavy sound passing through him. She took his reaction as one of pleasure, as she turned so that she was straddling his waist then.

The sheet fell away from her body in a cascade, pooling around her hips. She wasn't as timid as before, there was little hesitation when she leaned down for another draw of his lips. It was slow, dizzying almost with so many emotions swarming through the both of them, like a line of electricity that kept them tethered together.

"I want you," she whispered against him, eyes daring to flash at him seriously.

Her words washed over him, bittersweet and guilty all at once. It might as well had been a knife dragging over his skin. He leaned up, large hands at the sides of her neck to pull her down into another deep kiss. An animal existed, somewhere deep within, like a predator that would step into the light whenever something delicious would come its way.

She moaned into him, allowing their positions to be reversed with her body trapped beneath his chest and the mattress. Her hands were above her head, where he held them firmly. Her lower half squirmed against the rough material of his jeans. She could feel how hard he was already. Hard and ashamed, wanting her so badly.

"Jared, please…"

He blinked, staring down at her as though she weren't there at all. There was emptiness.

 _'Please…please…'_

The actor moved himself away from her before she could touch him again. He tossed the sheet over her body in an attempt to cover her up. Despite being haunted by the memories, he was still rather aroused, and didn't know if he would be able to control himself again. There were things that needed to be sorted…

She tucked the sheets beneath her arms, "Jared."

" _Mr. Leto_ ," He corrected her, voice growing colder the more he thought of his actions. Jared grabbed his shirt from the floor and finished getting dressed. "I need time to figure this out. I don't regret telling everyone about us. That's not what this is…" He gestured over himself. He was sure that he must've looked bat-shit crazy.

"What else is there to think about? You're freaked out because I know more about you, than you do me? Is that it? That's an easy thing to fix."

"Not everything is easy, Laney." Fuck – he'd even used her nickname. What the hell was happening to him? She didn't even appear to have picked up on it and now he was losing his temper. "Unless that person is you, right? I'm sure it's all very easy and convenient for you, but for people like me it's…"

He paused, biting back his thoughts. The more terrifying part was how little she knew about him and how much he realized he knew about her. How could she not remember him, not even a little?

"Okay," she said, quiet and subdued. She didn't want to argue with him. "You have interviews beginning at ten and then a scene to film at four. I'll meet you at the car at nine thirty-five sharp. Until then, I suggest you shower and eat breakfast. It's going to be a long day, Mr. Leto."

She pulled the blankets with her, as she stood up from bed, and headed straight for the bathroom. Once the door was closed, she placed her back against it and locked it. She could hear the door to the hotel room close a few moments later, signaling that Jared had left. That was when the tears came, angry and hot against her cold cheeks.

What the fuck…

* * *

 **TBC**


End file.
